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Historic Morristown, 
New Jersey: 

THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY. 



ILLUSTRATED, 



By ANDREW M. SHERMAN, 



AUTHOR OF 

Morristown in the Spanish-American War. 
Life of Captain Jeremiah O'Brien, Machias, Me. 
Memorials of Hon. Joshua S. Salmon, etc. 



*U* 



The Howard Publishing Company 

Morristown, New Jersey, 

1905 







r x 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received 

DEC 23 1905 

Copyright Entry 
CU*f. 1.1.19*} 
CLASS/ c*. XXc. No. 



Copyright 1905 
by 

ANDREW M. SHERMAN 



1905 
THE JERSEYMAN PRESS 

Morristown, N. J. 



To The Memory 

of MY 

Father and Mother 





PREFACE. 



A decade and more has elapsed since the author of 
this volume delivered, before a large Sunday morning 
congregation, an historical sermon in commemoration 
of the sixty-fourth anniversary of the dedication of the 
church edifice in Morris County, New Jersey, in which 
there worshiped the religious organization of which he 
was then the regularly installed pastor. The prepara- 
tion of this sermon, which was subsequently published 
in pamphlet form, necessitated careful research of 
township and county annals, which were found to be 
of rare interest ; so far, particularly, as concerned their 
relation to the seven years struggle for national inde- 
pendence. 

Later and more thorough research of the annals of 
the county seat of Morris, the story of which, as the 
author was impressed, had never been consecutively 
nor adequately related, fruited in the purpose to 
attempt, in the not distant future, the writing of a his- 
tory of Morristown which should aid at least in giving 
it the prominent place in the annals of our great coun- 
try to which it is rightfully entitled. In accordance, 



PREFACE 

therefore, with this purpose, the author has for several 
years past been gathering material for the contemplated 
work ; meanwhile he has consulted every known and 
available source of information concerning his subject. 
Not alone from printed page and musty document, how- 
ever, but from not a few living repositories of local his- 
tory and tradition, has material been procured by the 
author for the present volume. 

For the verification of the locale and present appear- 
ance of the various camping grounds of Washington's 
army in Morristown and vicinity, during the winters of 
1777, and 1779-80, as described by several local his- 
torians, the author has, either alone or in company with 
rseidents of the county seat, more or less acquainted 
with these grounds, gone over them nearly a score of 
times during the year now nearing its close. Kodak 
and camera have been kept busy during the year past 
transferring to practically imperishable paper the accu- 
rate and indisputable representations of historic grounds 
and buildings and monuments and ruins, the sight of 
which in photographic form, cannot fail to quicken the 
heart action of even this distinctively commercial age 
and people. 

As the author has again and again, in the deep quie- 
tude of the woods and hill-slopes tramped over the 
grounds once alive with the armed participants in the 
War of the Revolution, and looked, not always with 
dry eyes, upon the countless heaps of stones once com- 
posing the fire-places and chimneys of the rude log huts 
which sheltered their occupants in the awful winter of 



PREFACE 

1779-80, it has occurred to him that no finer thing in 
the way of an exhibition of patriotism could be done, 
than to gather these stones, bring them to the beautiful 
county seat of Morris, and there, in some central loca- 
tion, construct of them a suitable memorial building, 
the presence of which would furnish inspiration to com- 
ing generations, and aid in keeping alive the sentiment 
of our beloved Whittier, enunciated in the words : 

"Freedom's soil hath only place 
For a free and fearless race !" 

The author gratefully acknowledges his indebted- 
ness for several photographs for illustrations for this 
volume, and for interesting data, to the following 
named individuals : Mrs. Mary D. Halsey, widow of 
the late Hon Edmund D. Halsey, of Rockaway ; Maltby 
G. Pierson, William A. Dunn, Hon. Charles F. Axtell, 
Isaac N. Pierson, J. Frank Holloway, Harrie A. Free- 
man, Mrs. Julia R. Cutler, widow of the late Hon. 
Augustus W. Cutler, Emory McClintock, LL.D., 
George W. Fleury, John W. Melick, Philip H. Hoff- 
man, Henry B. Hoffman, Clifford A. Fairchild, Frank 
H. Fairchild, Francis E. Woodruff, John D. Guerin, 
Mrs. Charlotte C. Lee, Frederick F. Curtis, Mrs. Anna 
W. Little, widow of the late Theodore Little, Esq., 
Mrs. M. G. Twining, Secretary of the Morristown and 
Madison Chapter, D. A. R., Amidee Boisaubin 
(deceased), Gustav A. Kissell, John S. Green, Edward 
Howell, Hevward G. Emmell, of Morristown. To 



PREFACE 

these names should be added those of Henry V. Con- 
diet, Esq., of Jersey City ; Samuel A. Farrand, one 
of the headmasters of the famous Newark Academy, 
of Newark ; Mrs. Adrain Dickerson, of Montclair, 
whose maiden name was Elizabeth Anna Lewis, daugh- 
ter of Major William Johnes Lewis, formerly of Mor- 
ristown (now deceased) ; Rev. James A. Ferguson, D. 
D., pastor for considerably more than a quarter cen- 
tnry, of the Hanover Presbyterian Church ; Amos L. 
Shangle, of Oskaloosa, Iowa, a native of Morris 
County; Edwin A. Ely, of Livingstone; R. Heber 
Breintnall, Adjutant-General of the State of New Jer- 
sey ; Dr. M. S. Simpson, of Middle Valley ; Aaron K. 
Fairchild, of Hanover ; Frederick A. Canfield, of 
Dover ; Mrs. James B. Bowman, of Mendham ; Miss 
Eleanor A. Hunter, of Montclair ; Joseph M. Sayre, 
of Newark ; Mrs. Charlotte Sayre Boorman, of Fort 
Washington, New York City; Alfred B. Johnson, of 
South Orange; Dr. B. L. Dodd, of Newark; John 
M. Lindley, Ph.G., of Winfield, Iowa, and John S. 
McMaster, Esq., of Jersey City. 



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1**4.CUCt 






Morristown, New Jersey, October 25, 1905. 




SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I 



Page 



Morristown is settled by persons from Whippany— 
English in Morris County as early as 1685 — Con- 
jecture of Rev. Joseph F. Tuttle, D. D., LL.D — 
Statement of Rev. Samuel L. Tuttle— Tribute of 
Rev. Robert Aikman, D. D., to the brothers 
Tuttle— Entry in the parish book of Rev. Jacob 
Green— Starting point of Morris County history 
—Settlement of the Dutch at Pompton— Cir- 
cumstances under which Whippany was perma- 
nently settled — Significance of the word "Whip- 
panong" — The pioneers of Whippany, who, and 
whence were they? — They engage in the iron 
industry — First iron forge in the county erected 
at Whippany — Others are erected on the Whip- 
pany river — The last forge in the vicinity — Iron 
ore is procured at Succasunna — Manufactured 
bars were taken on horse back to Newark and 
Elizabethtown — Iron ore was long utilized by 
the Indians — Habits and customs of the Indians 
—The Lenni Lenape tribe — Indians of the county 
were hospitable and friendly — Code of honor 
among them — Destructive effects of "fire water^' 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 

among the aborigines — Origin of the Indians — 
Evolutionary theory of creation anticipated — 
Interesting Indian deed — Remnants of the Len- 
ni Lenape emigrate to New York State — One 
family remains — Indian relics found in Morris 
County 1-20 

CHAPTER II 

Introduction by Rev. Dr. Joseph F. Tuttle — Circum- 
stances under which Morristown was settled — 
Exact date of its settlement not known — Rea- 
sons for settling Morristown — Locale of the 
original settlement — Where the first iron forge 
was erected — Gristmill and sawmill were soon 
afterward erected — Other forges on the Whip- 
pany river — Log huts were the first homes of 
the settlers — Settlers erect their huts on the 
hill — Indians still linger in the region — They 
emigrate to the West — Wild beasts abound— 
Sheep and other stock herded at night — Quaint 
deed to three individuals — The land was soon 
distributed — New arrivals from Newark and 
other towns — First frame house in Morristown 
— Inauguration of religious services at Whip- 
pany — Occasional supplies by visiting ministers 
— The village schoolmaster officiates? — Church 
is organized at Whippany — Land for church 
edifice given by John Richards — Copy of Rich- 
ard's deed — He is the first to be buried in the 
new grounds — Finding of the Richard's deed — 
Present locale of the deed 21-34 

CHAPTER III. 

Primitive church at Whippany is described — Of the 
Presbyterian order, ultimately — Wide extent of 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 

the parish— Pastors of the church, Hubbell, 
Nutman — New church edifice is discussed — 
Primitive church said to be "old and dilapi- 
dated" — Determination to remove the church 
organization to Morristown — Opposition of the 
Whippany people — Agreement to submit the 
matter to "the lot" — Result favors the church 
remaining at Whippany — Two versions of the 
affair — Religious services are inaugurated at 
Morristown — Some attend services at Bask- 
ing Ridge — The mother church is financially 
crippled — Mr. Nutman appeals to Synod 
for relief — Synod advises in the matter- 
Attempt to reconcile the divided parish — 
Use of "the lot" condemned by the 
Synod — John Cleverly preaches for the people 
at Morristown — They desire his ordination — 
The Whippany people object — He is advised by 
Presbytery to seek another field — He remains 
in Morristown — Supplies there and at Turkey — 
Large committee of Synod meet at Whippany — 
Sermon by Rev. Gilbert Tennent — A good feel- 
ing is aroused — Mutual agreement upon a sepa- 
ration — Presbyterian church is organized at 
Morristown — Morris County is instituted — First 
church edifice is erected at the county seat — 
Stone to mark its site — Land for church and 
parsonage given — Description of the church edi- 
fice or "meeting house" — Where it stood — New 
steeple erected — A bell presented by the King 
of Great Britain — The bell has been three times 
cracked — The organization grows — Enlarge- 
ment of the "meeting house" — Rev. Timothy 
Johnes preaches at Morristown — He accepts a 
call to the pastorate — Comes to town on horse 
back — Extract from a historical paper of Mrs. 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTEXTS 

Isaac R. Pierson — Mr. Johnes is installed — He 
begins a church record — Title of the book 35-5- 

CHAPTER IV 

Members of Mr. Johnes'church — Extracts from the 
church records — Mr. Johnes' salary — Parish 
"bees" — Members are called to account — Names 
of the original elders of the Morristown church 
— Extracts from the court records — Township 
officers are elected — Morris County boundaries 
described — County court is held in a tavern — 
First session of the county court — Township of 
Morris is established — Names of the County 
judges — Township officers are appointed — 
Tavern license is granted to Jacob Ford — Copy 
of the license — Morristown Freeholders, or real 
estate owners, in 1752 — First county court house 
is erected — The building described — The church 
deeds land for the court house and jail — Pillory 
erected nearby — Uriah Brown's mysterious 
escapes from jail — The old court house is 
enlarged — Unhewn boulder is erected by the D. 
A. R. — Locale of the pillory — The "old well" on 
the Green — Many drink its refreshing waters — 
Attempt to have the well filled in — The well 
still remains 53 _ 75 

CHAPTER V 

The first Baptists in Morris County — Baptist settle- 
ment down the Basking Ridge road — They at- 
tend church at Piscataway — Baptist church is 
organized at Morristown — Men who officiated 
— Names of the original members — Locale of 
the meeting house — Rev. John Gano was the 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 

first pastor— He preaches in surrounding places 
—Extracts from the church records— Conver- 
sion of Hezekiah Smith— He enters the minis- 
try—Extracts from his journal — Extracts from 
Rev. Dr. Fox's article — Rev. Ichabod Tomkins 
the second pastor of the Baptist church— The 
membership increases— Mr. John Walton is or- 
dained—Resolution to build a new church "on 
the Green"— Subscribers to the building fund- 
Burial grounds of the primitive Baptist church- 
Family burial grounds— Soldiers may have been 
buried in the old Baptist burial grounds— The 
Baptists worship in the old court house— Meet- 
ing house is completed — Description of the 
meeting house — Dedicatory sermon by Rev. Mr. 
Gano— The first pastor of the church "on the 
Green" was Rev. Reune Runyon 76-92 

CHAPTER VI 

Word picture of colonial Morristown — Habits and cus- 
toms of the people — Sabbath observance — 
Tithing men to preserve order in church — Long 
service enjoyed — A page of "parson Johnes' " 
sermon notes — "Lining" — Mr. Johnes' intro- 
duces a choir — Descriptions of quaint customs — 
Charter of incorporation — Extracts from the 
trustees' book — Cases of discipline — Education 
is encouraged — Gifts to the College of New Jer- 
sey — Schools are established in Morristown — 
Method of conducting schools — Quaint news- 
paper advertisements 93 _II 6 

CHAPTER VII 

Samuel Ford, Jr., engaged in the iron industry at 
"Hiberny" — The manufacture of counterfeit 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 

money is suggested by his partner — Ford sells 
out — Goes to Ireland to learn the art of counter- 
feiting — Marries an Irish girl — She is broken 
hearted on learning Ford has a wife and children 
— Large quantity of counterfeit Jersey money is 
in circulation — Ford embarks in the manufacture 
of counterfeit money — His shop at the "Ham- 
mock" is visited by prominent men — Robbery 
of the East Jersey treasury at Perth Amboy — 
Ford the leader — $30,000 secured — The money is 
divided — Ford is arrested — He escapes from the 
Morris County jail — County officials are sus- 
pected of complicity — Tardy endeavor to cap- 
ture Ford — Evidence suppressed — Arrest, trial, 
conviction and sentence of Ford's accomplices — 
At the eleventh hour all but one is pardoned — 
The least guilty of all is hung on the Morris- 
town Green — Protests his innocence to the last — 
Dr. Bern Budd resumes practice — Ford flees 
South — Settles in West Virginia — Changes his 
name — Marries for the third time — His son vis- 
its him — He is repentant — Never returned to 
New Jersey 117-138 

CHAPTER VIII 

Illustrations of British tyranny — Infant colonial indus- 
tries restricted — Passage of the "navigation act" 
— "Writs of assistance" earnestly resisted — 
Colonists oppose "taxation without representa- 
tion" — Enormous British war debt — Direct tax 
for its liquidation is resisted by the colonists — 
Thrilling words of Patrick Henry — Formidable 
opposition of Massachusetts to British tyranny 
— A colonial Congress is recommended — Squire 
Winds issues vv,rits on white birch bark — Non- 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 

importation associations are formed — Popula- 
tion of Morristown— The village Green— The 
Preshyterian church receives large gifts of land 
—Makes land purchases, also— Morristown's 
representatives to the State Assembly— Essex 
County publicly declares resistance to British 
tyranny— Morris County is aroused — Stirring 
meeting in the old court house on the Green — 
Patriotic resolutions are passed — Important 
committee is appointed— Sketch of Morristown 
members— Meeting of county committees at 
New Brunswick — Delegates to the General Con- 
gress are appointed — Meeting of the General 
Congress at Philadelphia— Second meeting in 
Morristown— Old county committee is reap- 
pointed — A New York printer is condemned — 
His pamphlets are burned on the Green — A 
sifting process is instituted — Meeting of the 
cream of Morris County in the old court house 
on the Green * 39-159 

CHAPTER IX 

The colonists are thoroughly aroused — War actually 
begun — The raising of money and men is au- 
thorized by Morris County — The county is dom- 
inated by men of New England origin — County 
delegates meet in Dickerson's tavern — Impor- 
tant action taken — Military forces to be raised — 
300 volunteers are ordered recruited — Officers 
named — Provision for their payment is made — 
Payment of soldiers is provided for — Powder 
and lead are voted — Sketch of Morris County 
patriots — Promise required of recruits 160-174 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 

CHAPTER X 

Organization of an independent mounted troop — 
"Thomas Kinney, Esq.," was the captain — En- 
listment roll — Other names are added — Service 
of Jacob Johnson — "Parson" Johnes' fidelity — 
The Light Horse Troop escorts Governor 
Franklin to Connecticut — Compensation for ser- 
vices — Jacob Arnold assumes command of the 
company — How they were armed — Spear is 
found in the cellar of the Arnold tavern — Now 
at "Headquarters" — Services rendered by the 
Arnold Light Horse Troop — Colonel Arnold's 
watch — History of the watch — The Provincial 
Congress is supplanted — Provisions for raising 
militia — Jacob Ford, Jr., is appointed colonel of 
the "eastern battalion" — Officers furnished by 
Morristown — "Minute men" ordered to be re- 
cruited in Morris County — Meeting at Dicker- 
son's tavern — Officers recommended for com- 
missions — Meeting of battalion officers — Offi- 
cers present — The Continental Congress calls 
upon New Jersey for men — Pay of officers and 
men — Form of enlistment — Another New Jersey 
battalion called for — Powder mill is erected at 
Morristown — Its erection is supervised by a 
Morristonian — Locale of the powder mill — Its 
complete isolation — A Morristonian in charge 
of the powder mill — Ingenious ruse to deceive 
the British — The Hathaway house is located and 
described — The Major Joseph Lindsley house — 
Women guide horsemen to the Ford powder 
mill — Morristown freeholders in 1776 T 75-i95 

CHAPTER XI 

Bold resolution of Richard Henry Lee — Declaration of 
Independence drawn by Jefferson — Opening 
xvi 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 

sentence— The immortal declaration is adopted 

Demonstrations of American patriots — Mor- 

ristovvn joins — Important battles in New York 
State— Attempts of the British to destroy Ford's 
powder mill— The first battle at Springfield- 
Colonel Ford and the New Jersey militia repulse 
the enemy — They flee toward Spanktown — The 
French government resolves to aid the colonists 
—The famous "mud rounds"— General McDou- 
gall visits Morristown— Three regiments of 
American troops arrive at the county seat- 
Ford's powder mill must be protected — Colonel 
Ford returns from Chatham— Parades his bat- 
talion in 'Morristown — He is taken sick on pa- 
rade — He is carried to his home by soldiers — 
Succumbs to disease induced by exposure- 
Sketch of his life— He is buried with military 
honors in the Presbyterian burial grounds— In- 
scription on his monument — Washington in 
Morristown — Arnold's tavern his headquarters 
—Story of the building— The tavern is described 
—The rooms occupied by 'Washington— Other 
officers are quartered in the village — The patriot 
army chiefly at Lowantica valley — The small- 
pox breaks out in Morristown— Presbyterian 
and Baptist churches are used as hospitals — 
Correspondence between Washington and Lord 
Howe — Some humor indulged in — Decease of 
Colonel Jacob Ford, Sr 106-211 

CHAPTER XII 

Washington's soldiers are billeted in private houses — 
Statement of historian Gordon — In a letter 
Washington mentions the battles of Trenton 
and Princeton — He writes to Governor Living- 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 

ston a cheery letter — Number of the patriot 
army in Morris County — Term of enlistment 
soon to expire — Solicitude of Washington — De- 
sertions from the American army — The com- 
mander-in-chief recommends stringent meas- 
ures — Punishment of deserters by "running the 
gauntlet" — The small-pox continues — Numerous 
deaths — "Parson Johnes' " arduous labers — 
Washington is ill at Arnold's tavern — Mrs. 
Washington nurses him — Fears entertained of 
his decease — He recommends General Greene 
as his successor — The commander-in-chief re- 
covers — 'He visits the camps — Sympathy for his 
soldiers — Trials of Washington — How a British 
spy was misled — The Silas Condict house is lo- 
cated and described — British officers are con- 
fined there — Trouble over a dog — Incident of a 
returned American soldier — The new Silas Con- 
dict house — The old house is torn down — Inter- 
esting letter of Mr. Condict — A tory confesses — 
Another tory joins the British army — Peter 
Kemble is before the Council of Safety — Burial 
place of the Kemble family — A tory minister is 
confined in the Morristown jail — Daniel Mor- 
gan organizes a battalion of sharpshooters — 
Testimony of Washington to their efficiency — A 
tory brought to the Morristown jail 212-234 

CHAPTER XIII 

Hessian prisoners are brought to Morristown — A Brit- 
ish officer is flogged — Courtesy of Washington 
to a mother and child — He visits "Parson 
Johnes" — He communes with the Presbyterians 
— Gambling in the army is prohibited — Wash- 
ington commends one of his generals — Bravery 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 

of a Morris County officer — "Parson Johnes" 
preaches a stirring sermon — A page of his ser- 
mon notes — Kosciusko arrives in Morristown — 
He is assigned to duty by Washington — Tri- 
butes to Washington's generalship — Departure 
of the patriot army from Morris County — Im- 
portant meeting of the Council of Safety — Brit- 
ish recruiting officers before this body — Re- 
cruits for the enemy enlist in the American 
navy — A busy court term of Oyer and Terminer 
— Thirty-five sentenced to be hung — Several 
cases of pardon — Two are executed on the Mor- 
ristown Green — A British spy is branded in the 
hand — British prisoners are paroled — Escape of 
prisoners from jail 235-251 

CHAPTER XIV 

The Council of Safety was a migratory body — Ex- 
tracts from their minutes — The small-pox epi- 
demic begins to abate — Request of the Presby- 
terian church officials that the meeting house be 
vacated — Enactment of "a war measure" by the 
State Legislature — Violators of the law cited 
before the Council of Safety — British deserters 
are before the same body — Extracts from the 
minutes of the Council of Safety — The trustees 
of the Presbyterian church meet — Extracts from 
the New Jersey Gazette — The Council of Safety 
meets at Springfield — A beacon station is or- 
dered established at Morristown — Announce- 
ment in the New Jersey Gazette of its establish- 
ment — Testimony of a Morristonian corrobora- 
tive of its establishment — John Ruchman's testi- 
mony — What Lossing saw in 1848 — Present 
traces of earthworks on Fort Nonsense hill — 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 

Two theories concerning their origin — Opinion 
of the author — Extract from "Topography of 
Washington's Camp of 1780 and its Neighbor- 
hood" 252—274 

CHAPTER XV 

Resume of national events — Capture of Paulus by 
Major Henry Lee — Quartermaster General 
Greene in Morristown — He examines grounds 
for the encampment of Washington's army — 
Washington's choice is Morristown — Reasons 
for this choice — Locale of Stark's brigade en- 
campment — Erection of a monument to mark its 
site — Traces of "dug-outs" found — Significant 
order of Washington — Locale of Clinton's bri- 
gade encampment — How an extant map aids In 
locating its sites — Testimony of a Morristonian 
— Locale of the Pennsylvania brigade encamp- 
ment — Brigade camps changed — Site of a divi- 
sion hospital, and spring — The famous clump of 
locust trees — These trees were planted to pro- 
tect soldiers' graves — Effort to have a monu- 
ment erected — Experiences of the writer — Lo- 
cale of the Maryland brigade encampment — Site 
of the spring furnishing water — The ruins of a 
stone bake oven — Hand's brigade encampment 
— Interesting heap of stones — "Fort Hill" — 
Locale of the Connecticut brigade encampment — 
The author tramps over these grounds — Definite 
traces of camp streets — Locale of the New Jer- 
sey brigade encampment — Descriptions of local 
historians — The author's first visit to the 
grounds — Obstacles overcome — His imagination 
is awakened — Fourth of July pilgrimage recom- 
mended — McClintock's diagram of the camp 

grounds 275-301 

xx 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 
CHAPTER XVI 

Locale of Knox's artillery brigade — A regiment of 
artificers — Recollections of a Morristonian — 
Grazing grounds for the artillery horses — 
Statement of a lover of nature — Knox's quarters 
— Access to the "Park of Artillery" — The 
"Grand Parade," where situated — A famous log 
building — Extracts from the order book of Col- 
onel Francis Johnston — Officers quartered in 
farm houses — Huts of the patriot soldiers are 
described — Washington's strict orders for their 
construction — Quarters of General William Ir- 
vine — A cannon ball on exhibition — Officers are 
quartered in the "Continental House" — Quarters 
of the Surgeon General — Washington's Head- 
quarters — Washington's Body Guard — Locale 
and description of their huts — The organization 
of Washington's Body Guard — Reasons for the 
Body Guard — The last survivor of this organiza- 
tion — Washington is cramped for room at head- 
quarters — He helps unload wood — A log kitchen 
and office built — A resourceful housekeeper — 
Salt $8 per bushel — Two interesting letters by 
the commander-in-chief — Noble response of 
New Jersey patriots to an appeal for food — 
Severity of the winter of 1779-80 — Extracts from 
Dr. Thatcher's military journal — An interesting 
letter — Quartermaster General Joseph Lewis — 
Extract from the poem, "Rhoda Farrand" — His- 
tory of the poem — An excited young man is 
quieted — Preparations for repelling a British at- 
tack at Headquarters — Washington's courtesy to 
a wounded soldier — The camps are visited — 
Arrival of Mrs. Washington at the Ford Man- 
sion — Example of industry and simple attire — 
xxi 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 

Exorbitant prices of necessities — Reward is of- 
fered for a runaway negro 302-326 

CHAPTER XVII 

An important gathering in Dickerson's tavern — The 
court-martial of Benedict Arnold — Sketch of his 
career — Resume of his services — Composition of 
the court — The room in which the trial occurred 
— The charges against Arnold — He demands an 
investigation — Active hostilities prevent — An 
opportune time arrives — Arnold's personal ap- 
pearance at the trial — He offers evidence — He 
addresses the court — The court is adjourned — 
Arnold's acquittal was expected — The court re- 
assembles — Arnold is convicted — The sentence 
is a reprimand from Washington — The repri- 
mand — Arnold is disappointed and indignant-^ 
He resolves to quit the service — He is dissuaded 
by Washington — He is assigned to West Point — 
He requests leave of absence — He is still brood- 
ing over the verdict of the court-martial — He 
betrays his country — Dies in obscurity in Eng- 
land — On whom rests the responsibility for 
Arnold's rash act? — The celebration in Morris- 
town of the festival of St. John, by the Military 
Union Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons — A 
fruitless expedition to Staten Island — Half- 
humorous letter of Quartermaster General Lew- 
is — A specimen of newspaper patriotism — The 
soldiers return to camp, many with frozen feet^ 
The British retaliate on Elizabethtown — Wash- 
ington orders an investigation — An assembly 
opened at Morristown — Subscriptions to the 
series of balls — A bit of word painting — How 
"Tempe" Wick saved her favorite saddle horse 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 

— The popular version given — The foot-prints of 
"Tempe's" horse were seen for many years — 
"Leddell's mill" still in operation 327"354 

CHAPTER XVIII 

Washington's customary seriousness — An occasional 
laugh is indulged in— A braggart's attempt to 
break a young horse — Washington laughs 
heartily — Sketch of General John Doughty — He 
settles in Morristown — Two distinguished for- 
eigners visit Morristown — They attend a mili- 
tary parade — A grand ball in the "Continental 
House" — Tallow candles are the only light — 
Death of Don Juan de Miralles — An imposing 
funeral — Soldiers guard his grave — The history 
of the "Continental House"— Officers quartered 
in the building — Captured British cannon stored 
there — Courtship of Alexander Hamilton — 
Hamilton and the sentinel as related to Lossing 
— Captain "Jack" Steele's letter from Headquar- 
ters — The main portion of the American army 
leaves Morristown — The second battle at 
Springfield — Colonel Benoni Hathaway is 
wounded — He prefers charges against Gen- 
eral Heard — Pennsylvania troops are left in 
Morristown — Misunderstanding over the sol- 
diers' term of enlistment — The soldiers resolve 
to mutiny — They procure arms, ammunition and 
provisions — Accidental shooting of Captain 
Adam Bettin — General Wayne hastens from his 
quarters to camp — He addresses the mutineers-^ 
A shot is fired over his head — "Shoot me, if you 
will" — Wayne returns to his quarters — The 
mutineers start for Philadelphia — They seek jus- 
tice — General Wayne vainly endeavors to dis- 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 

suade the mutineers from their purpose— He 
recognizes the justness of their cause — Wayne 
leads his soldiers to Princeton— Their wrongs 
are righted — Clinton sends emissaries to the 
mutineers — They indignantly spurn their flatter- 
ing inducements — The emissaries are executed 
as spies — Wayne's tribute to the Pennsylvania 
troops— Sketch of General Wayne's career— His 
quarters at Bottle Hill — Another version of the 
"Tempe" W r icke episode — Comments of a local 
historian upon the popular theory — Some inter- 
esting information furnished by a descendant of 
Morris County patriots — She addresses a valu- 
able letter to the author — The destruction toy 
fire of the "Leddell house" — The cause of the 
conflagration — A Morristonian's reminiscent 
letter to the author 355-386 

CHAPTER XIX i 

Relief of the long-suffering patriot soldiers — Resume 
of national events — The surrender of Cornwallis 
— The discovery of old documents at Trenton — 
Inventories of property of Morris County pa- 
triots in the Revolution — Sketch of Judge John 
Cleves Symme's career — A famous house — Anna 
Symme's marriage to Captain William H. Harri- 
son — Walter Mould, an English artisan, removes 
to Morristown — He occupies "Solitude" — He 
coins the famous "horsehead pennies" — A silver 
mine on the Symme's place — Captain Benjamin 
Holloway keeps the Wheatsheaf tavern — Pres- 
ent owner of the "Wheatsheaf farm" — "The 
Morristown Ghost" — Amusing experiences of 
the author — He receives significant offers of an 
"original copy" — The "perennial perambulating 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 

typo" episode — A dramatic representation of the 
"Morristown Ghost" — Reprints of the famous 
pamphlet — The author recommended to publish 
the names of Roger's victims — The probable 
printer of the original "Morristown Ghost" 387-415 

CHAPTER XX 

Local belief concerning buried treasure — Tories and 
others bury money and valuables — Morris Coun- 
ty residents seek the aid of a "chymist" — The 
story of the Morristown Ghost related — Morris 
County's rapid growth from the Revolution — 
The iron industry an important factor — Log huts 
superseded by more comfortable homes — Better 
schools are established — The Presbyterians build 
a new meeting house — "Parson Johnes" preaches 
his half-century sermon — The service described 
by a recent pastor of the First Church — Decease 
of the Rev. Timothy Johnes, D. D. — Tribute of 
Dr. Albert Barnes to Dr. Timothy Johnes — 
Successors to "Parsons Johnes" — Methods em- 
ployed to raise the ministers' salary — "Wood- 
frolicks" — Expenditures for "cake and cider" — 
"Spinning visits" to the parsonage — Baptist pas- 
tors during the closing years of the century — "A 
List of Capt. Joseph Halsey's Company Militia" 
— The organization of the Morris Academy- 
Names of the subscribers — The first board of 
proprietors — A building lot is purchased of the 
First Church — Names of early pupils of the 
Morris Academy — The school becomes famous 
— A library is established — Constitution and by- 
laws are adopted — Names of the officers — 
Growth of the library — A newspaper is issued in 
Morristown — Change of name and editorship — 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 

Jacob Mann is the new editor — The first post- 
master in Morristown — A fire association is or- 
ganized at the county seat — Names of the offi- 
cers — The "Morris Aqueduct" is incorporated — 
Names of the proprietors — A description of the 
"Morris Aqueduct" — The inauguration of the 
first stage route between Morristown and 
Powles Hook — A rival stage is put on — Flaming 
advertisements to secure patronage — Burial 
Grounds in Morristown — The "Bill of Mortal- 
ity," by "Parson Johnes" and sexton William 
Cherry — "Time brushes off our lives with sweep- 
ing wings" — Many Revolutionary soldiers were 
interred in the Presbyterian burial grounds — 
Brass buttons have been found — Revolutionary 
soldiers were interred in the Baptist burial 
grounds — Buttons. pennies and wallet are 
found — The oldest stone in the Presbyterian 
burial grounds — The visit of an antiquarian to 
the oldest cemetery in Morristown — The oldest 
date she found, 1722 — A friend said the oldest 
date was 1713 ..415-447 

Errata 

Addenda 

Index of Persons 





INTRODUCTION 

Few will take up this book who do not know that 
Morristown is in Morris County in New Jersey, some 
thirty miles due west of New York. Few are aware, 
however, that the location of Morristown is absolute- 
ly unique, not in one respect only, but in three differ- 
ent ways. It occupies a geological site of remarkable 
interest. It was the westernmost colonial puritan 
church-town, the outpost of New England. In the 
revolutionary era, from the capture of New York to 
the capture of Cornwallis, it was the key of Washing- 
ton's position, the one connecting link between the 
eastern and the southern states, like the stem of an 
hour-glass. 



The Morristown court house is on ground which has 
been solid ground since the world began. The Mor- 
ristown green, near by, was for a long period under 
the waters of the ocean, as has been, at one time or 
another, nearly all the land within this country, and in- 



INTRODUCTION 

deed most of the present land surface of the globe. 
From the hill on which the court house stands there 
could be seen, when the ocean last receded, no one 
of the numerous other hills now visible to the east 
and south. All that the ocean left behind it was a 
wide expanse of sandstone and shale. Melted rock, 
squeezing up later through cracks in the sandstone, 
was to form the hills that now shut in the Passaic val- 
ley, and others farther away. 

When the ocean covered the site of the green, the 
coast line was continued to the northeast by Watnong, 
Boonton and Ramapo Mountains, but it did not extend 
in the opposite direction much beyond Bernardsville, 
Mine Mountain there forming a sort of promontory. 
Morristown is just on the ancient coast line. Were 
this all, the fact would be of interest, notwithstanding 
that there were many other points, along the line on 
the map which marks the boundary of the most an- 
cient geological formation remaining in the world, be- 
sides that occupied by Morristown. But, besides this 
ancient line of the coast, and just here at right angles 
to it, there is another geological line of great import- 
ance known as the glacial moraine. This is a heavy 
deposit of "drift," consisting of sand, gravel, rounded 
stones, and boulders, which was left all along the 
southern margin of the great body of ice which cov- 
ered the northern part of the globe during the glacial 
period. This line of drift running around the world 
crossed the ancient coast line precisely where Mor- 
ristown now stands. It extended to the southeast as 



INTRODUCTION 

far as Staten Island, and thence eastward through 
Long Island. To the westward it is found across the 
continent. The greater part of Morristown is built on 
the glacial moraine, which is here of considerable 
depth, the site of the green being many feet above the 
shale and sandstone deposited by the ocean. In one 
field within the borough limits, on the southern side of 
the moraine, may be found three geological forma- 
tions: ancient gneiss, shale, and glacial drift. 

Enough has been said to show that Morristown oc- 
cupies a unique geological position. What follows 
concerning geology is of local interest only. The Pas- 
saic Valley, extending from Morristown to Summit, 
and from near Paterson to a point below Bernards- 
ville, originated in consequence of the formation of the 
range of hills enclosing it to the east and south. The 
waters of the valley found an outlet through a gap 
near Summit, then the bed of a river. The glacier 
filled the river bed with a body of drift which closed 
the gap as an outlet for the water of the valley and 
has kept it closed ever since. The valley south of the 
glacier having thus no outlet, the waters rose to about 
360 feet above the present sea-level, when they were 
able to escape to the southwest and find their way to 
the Raritan. All parts of the valley below this level, 
and south of the moraine, thus became a lake, called 
by the geologists Lake Passaic. The shores of the 
lake are still marked, in place, by deposits of water- 
worn pebbles. After many years the glacier began to 
recede to the northward, and the lake became corres- 



INTRODUCTION 

pondingly larger until the time came when the water 
found a lower outlet to the northeast, by way of Lit- 
tle Falls, after which the present course of the Pas- 
saic River became established. 

II. 

Upon the crossing point of the two great geological 
lines just sketched there grew up a puritan settlement. 
The reader will find that, according to puritan custom, 
the early history of the town was substantially that of 
the church. 

It is unnecessary to describe the puritan element, 
the most notable of those which went to the formation 
of American civilization. The puritan, the church- 
man, the Holland calvinist, the Scotch presbyterian, 
the lutheran, the catholic, the huguenot, all contrib- 
uted their part, but the dominant element, in the north 
at least, was introduced by the puritan, whose settle- 
ments were known collectively as New England. 
Town after town was established on the puritan model, 
first on the coast, and by degrees in the interior, each 
town with its one church. If doctrinal differences 
arose in any church, one faction or the other would 
usually remove to another place and organize a new 
town. There were certain settlements outside of the 
legal limits of New England which were as truly puri- 
tan as any in Massachusetts or Connecticut, such as 
the Hamptons and Southold in eastern Long Island 
and Newark in New Jersey, with its offshoot Morris- 
town. 



INTRODUCTION 

Sometimes puritan settlements would be made amid 
uncongenial surroundings, and so lose speedily their 
peculiar characteristics. Among these were West- 
chester and Eastchester, Hempstead and Newtown, 
all under Dutch government and influences, and later 
under Church of England government and influences. 
In New Jersey, Woodbridge was settled from Massa- 
chusetts, but was soon invaded by Scotch and quakers, 
not to speak of Church of England influences from 
Amboy, the seat of government close by. Some who 
were born puritans were willing to remove to new 
homes without organizing a town and church after 
their own manner, and of such were the puritans who 
joined with others in building up Elizabethtown, Mid- 
dletown, Shrewsbury, Monmouth and Cape May, Even 
Mendham, a semi-puritan village near Morristown, 
had its quaker meeting. 

Newark, however, was wholly puritan, having its 
beginning in a revolt of some of the best men in New 
Haven colony when that colony was joined with Con- 
necticut. They were distressed and scandalized by 
one result of the union, which was that, godless men 
became entitled to vote, a right previously restricted 
by the laws of New Haven to church members alone. 
They accordingly exiled themselves and established a 
new town, to be ruled by its church. The early rec- 
ords of Newark show a thoroughly puritan interming- 
ling of the affairs of church and state, such a thing as 
the election of a pound keeper being followed in the 
record bv a vote for the call of a new minister. The 



INTRODUCTION 

laws were such when Morristown was settled, half a 
century later than Newark, that a town organization 
like that of Newark was no longer feasible. A wide 
territory called a township, sparsely settled and in- 
cluding several villages, had become the regular form 
of organization, as settlers no longer needed to cluster 
together for their common protection against Indians. 
Yet, at Morristown, church and village grew up to- 
gether, and the people of both were puritans by birth 
and training, born in Newark, or eastern Long Island, 
or elsewhere, but all, with possible exceptions of no 
importance, sons of New England families. By this 
time all the puritan and semi-puritan churches of New 
Jersey, Newark included, had connected themselves 
with the presyterian synod, under a compromise de- 
vised by the New England element, and the Morris- 
town church was accordingly organized under the 
presbyterian name. 

There were, no doubt, during the colonial period, 
villages to be found farther west than Morristown 
where New England ideas were uppermost, and 
among them notably a settlement in the Wyoming val- 
ley which might have become a Connecticut town, had 
it not been destroyed by the Indians. No other place 
of importance, however, was settled by the puritans 
west of the Hudson except Newark and Morristown, 
the latter being the advance post of New England, the 
church-town farthest west. This History will show 
how its church practically constituted the town during 
its first half century. 



INTRODUCTION 
III. 

For the better part of a century the little town se- 
cluded amid the Jersey hills maintained its character 
as the outpost of puritanism. It will be seen in these 
pages how such civic energy as there was came from 
the church, which, usually by formal vote of its trus- 
tees, supplied lands when needed for any public pur- 
pose, whether for a green or a court house, an army 
building or a drill ground. The revolution brought 
Morristown out of its seclusion, and the church-town 
at the crossing of the geological lines became the pivot 
of the war of independence. 

The location of the district of which Morristown 
was the centre was such as to make its possession of 
supreme importance to the Americans. This district 
comprised, in addition to Morris County itself, the 
eastern hills of Somerset County, and might be de- 
scribed as the highlands between Essex County and 
the Raritan. The Somerset hills, to the eastward, are 
not far from Morristown, which is not five miles from 
the line between the counties. At that time there was 
really no town in Somerset, though New Brunswick, 
Princeton and Morristown were just beyond its 
boundaries on different sides. If the British could 
have taken and held the Morris district, the rebel col- 
onies would have been cut in two, for such communi- 
cation as might have been carried on through the for- 
ests to the northward would have been difficult and 
precarious. It was this opportunity, this danger, for 



INTRODUCTION 

one side or the other, that made Morristown so prom- 
inent during the revolution. It was this that kept the 
Morris district so constantly on its guard, that gave 
the militia of the Jersey hills so much more work to 
do than any other militia, and that created the need of 
the famous beacon system, including the "Fort Non- 
sense" beacon at Morristown itself. The British never 
succeeded in setting foot in Morris County, though 
their armies were repeatedly led up to the foot of the 
hills and repulsed; and only in one rapid cavalry raid, 
when General Lee was captured by them, did they en- 
ter the Somerset part of the district. Year after year 
they held off even from an attempt to advance, per- 
haps from undue caution, but certainly with the knowl- 
edge that on the signal all available men from Sussex, 
Hunterdon and Somerset on the one side and from 
Bergen and Essex on the other would rush to the de- 
fense of the middle hills, and that Washington and his 
army were always there or close at hand. 

After taking New York in 1776, the British pursued 
Washington through the Jersey plains towards the 
Delaware, and were so confident or so careless that 
they delayed to secure the hill district. After winning 
his brilliant little victories at Trenton and Princeton 
with the remnant of his force, Washington turned un- 
expectedly to the hills and passed some months at 
Morristown, watching the enemy and reorganizing his 
army. From this point he could descend instantly to 
the plains if the British invaded Jersey, or march 
quickly, by interior lines, to defend the Hudson passes 



INTRODUCTION 

in case of need. From this time the cutting of the col- 
onies in two was a main object of the British. In 1777 
they hoped, with Burgoyne's help, to accomplish this 
object by taking and holding the line of the Hudson; 
but instead of advancing from New York to meet Bur- 
goyne, with Washington in the way, they moved by 
water to the southward, drew Washington away, and 
took Philadelphia, not suspecting the fate to which 
they were leaving Burgoyne. Washington at Valley 
Forge protected the communication between the 
northern and southern colonies. When the British 
moved from Philadelphia towards New York, Wash- 
ington moved also, always keeping between them and 
the hills, and striking a blow at Monmouth. The next 
three years he hovered in the hills, keeping them tied 
to New York. The first and second winters he quar- 
tered in the Morris district, the third on the west side 
of the river, but wherever he was the passes were 
steadily guarded, and the alarm guns and beacons 
were always ready. Then came the finish at York- 
town. 

The Jersey plains were sometimes held by the Brit- 
ish, and at other times were easily within their reach 
from Staten Island, which they always held in force. 
Communication between the Hudson and the Dela- 
ware, in order to be safe, had to go through Morris- 
town. The road southwest from Morristown thus be- 
came a great thoroughfare; it was "the great road," 
as Chastellux called it in 1780. 

The memory of the revolution is cherished at Mor- 



INTRODUCTION 

ristown more faithfully, it would seem, than in any oth- 
er town in the country, and this is indeed most fitting. 
A history of it has long been needed; and the present 
book, by an able writer deeply imbued with his sub- 
ject, will surely meet a most cordial welcome. 



^VwM^i 



o 




ERRATA. 

For "That the pioneers of Whippanong were chiefly Eng- 
lish, or of English descent," on page 8, read : That the pioneers 
of Whippanong were chiefly of English descent. 

For "Chapter VII," on page 139, read: Chapter VIII. 

For "Thaddeus Kosciusko," on page 244, read : Thaddeus 
Kosciusko. 

For "Down the straight road of the Revolutionary period 
toward the Basking Ridge road, about half the distance," on 
page 295, read: "Down the straight road of the Revolutionary 
period toward the Basking Ridge road, a short distance from 
the terminus of Jockey Hollow road." 



ADDENDA. 

Among the residents of early Morristown who served in 
the Revolution was James Rogers. He lived, as the author of 
this volume has been informed, in a house that stood on what 
is now South Street, about opposite the residence of the late 
Judge Vancleve Dalrymple. When about fourteen years of age 
he was a fifer in the Morris County militia. This statement 
will seem the less incredible when it is said that young Rogers 
was a tall, muscular and powerful boy. He was an ardent ad- 
mirer of Washington. At one time during the Revolution James 
Rogers was employed as a bearer of despatches. While in 
the lower part of the State engaged in this service he put up 
at a tavern. He was in some way thrown into the company 
of several Hessian soldiers, and the conversation having 
turned upon Washington, one of them angrily exclaimed: 
"Damn Washington, and all his subjects!" Forgetful, appar- 
ently, of the "ticklish" business in which he was engaged, 
young Rogers fearlessly replied : "I am one of them" ; and 
there is no record of the Hessians having molested the stal- 
wart American patriot. 

At the battle of Monmouth Rogers fought all day; and he 
subsequently remarked that several soldiers died from thirst 
on that memorable day. 

After the close of the Revolution, out of which, as the 
writer is informed, Rogers came, at the age of about 23 years, 
as captain, he returned to Morristown. It was his special 
delight in response to the wishes of his fellow-townsmen, to 
carry the American flag in Fourth of July parades, and this 
he did until he was 90 years of age. He died about the year 
1850 in the town in which he was born, and of which he 
had been a life-long resident. 

The foregoing facts are obtained from a native and resi- 
dent of Morris County who received them from Captain James 
Rogers himself. 

xl 



ADDENDA 

On page 483 of "Officers and Men of New Jersey in the 
Revolutionary War," by Adjutant General Styker may be 
found the following: "James Rogers, Fifer, Morris." 

Hanover, N. J. 
September, 1905. 

There was a family living in the house near where I now live 
whom the "Morristown Ghost" wished particularly to interest 
his scheme. In the side of the house mentioned there was a 
window about 8 feet above the ground. On one stormy night 
the "Ghost" made his appearance at this window, made cer- 
tain communications, and then vanished. In the morning 
following an examination of the ground about the house 
showed marks in the soft earth where some one had walked 
up to the house from the roadway on a pair of stilts, and back 
the same way. The marks in the road showed where a horse 
had been tied to the fence along the road. Further investiga- 
tion proved that this horse had been used by the "Morristown 
Ghost" as a means of conveyance from the county seat to the 
scene of his midnight manifestations. 

This is about the substance of what my grandparents knew 
about the episode above related. * * * The idea the 
"Ghost" wished to convey by walking on stilts was that he 
was a spirit floating through the air. 

The following extracts from two of the numerous letters 
received by the author of this volume since the commence- 
ment, in the Saturday issues of the Newark Evening News, 
of the series of articles on "History of Morristown, New 
Jersey; The Story of Its First Century," on February 25, 
1905, are here presented because of the interesting data 
therein communicated. The names of the writers of these 
letters are withheld, since their publication would be a breach 
of confidence on the part of their recipient. It should, how- 
ever, be said that the writers of the letters from which the 
extracts are given, are well qualified to speak upon the mat- 
ters involved : — 



ADDENDA 

"While I am writing, I recall being struck by your accept- 
ance of a mythical story of a dance at Arnold's tavern in the 
spring of 1777. The tradition is no doubt true in spirit, but 
must relate to the spring of 1780, when there really were 'as- 
semblies' in the Continental Store House, afterward known 
to Morristown people as O'Hara's tavern. (I have known 
earnest support of Morris's and Arnold's taverns as locations 
of the 1780 assemblies). In early 1777 Washington's army 
was nearer nothing than it ever was before or after — perhaps 
2,000 or 3,000, scattered towards Battle Hill, and scourged 
with small-pox. There is no evidence, and no probability, 
that any one thought of dancing during those dreadful three 
months. * * * That the Jersey women knit stock- 
ings innumerable in the winter of 1779-80 is doubtless correct. 
The evidence you quote is good, and the need was great, 
among the Jersey troops at least. There is no evidence what- 
ever that the entire army was ever short of any one article 
of clothing at the same time. ******** 

In the old Ms. letters, etc., that I have read in the past 
there were constantly two items cropping out : Our regiment, 
or our State troops, need so and so and the State clothier 
of Conn, or Penn., or some other State, will distribute shoe-, 
or something else, at such a day and hour. (As these are 
not real quotations, I omit the quotation marks.) The Jer- 
sey stockings would naturally go to the Jersey clothier for dis- 
tribution. There was a great diversity between the troops of 
different States in the matter of sufficient clothing. I recall 
no instance in which mention was made of the troops of one 
State being helped from the clothing supplies of another 
State. There was much State pride, which sometimes meant, 
of course, concealment of deficiencies of one's own State, 
along with private complaints in letters home. On the whole, 
barring the intense cold, my judgment is that the suffering in 
1779-80 has been enormously exaggerated (on the whole), in- 
dividual experiences and recollections being taken for uni- 



xlii 



ADDENDA 

versal facts. There is no question that the health of the army- 
was particularly good." 

* * * * "He (Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler, D. D.) wrote 
me that I must tell you that the picture of our patriotic an- 
cestor, Joseph Lewis, was given to his mother by his grand- 
mother whose maiden name was Anna B. Lewis, my aunt. 
Of course she knew how her father looked. Dr. Cuyler's 
mother was brought up in Morristown by the widow of 
Joseph Lewis. 'There is not a more genuine picture in ex- 
istence than that was of my great-grandfather Joseph Lewis, 
who was Quartermaster-General of the Revolutionary army 
when it wintered over in Morristown. General Washington 
was often at his table.' I copied the above from Dr. Cuyler's 
letter so that you may know that it (the miniature portrait in 
oil from which the picture of General Lewis in this volume is 
reproduced) is correct." 



xliii 



INDEX OF PERSONS 



Abeel, James, 349. 

Ackerman, Alexander, 64. 

Adams, John, 155. 

Aikman, Rev. Robert, D. D., 4 

Alden, John, 170, 438. 

Allen, Ann, widow, 54. 

Allen, Ebenezer, 65. 

Allen, Ethan, 328. 

Allen, Gilbert, ill, 128, 131. 

Allen, Job, 54. 

Allen, Moses, 193. 

Allen, Naomi, 79. 

Allen, Samuel, 176. 

Alien, John, 88, 193. 

Allien, Gilbard, 87, 193. 

Allin, Charles, 65. 

Allin, Jonah, 65. 

Ann, Indian, 19. 

Anne, Queen, 404. 

Armuld, William, 65. 

Armund, Samuel, 65. 

Armstrong, George, 65. 

Armstrong, John, 341. 

Armstrong, Lieut. John, 306. 

Arnold, Benedict, 327, 328, 329, 
331. 332. 333- 334, 335, 339- 

Arnold, Edward, 183. 

Arnold, Howard B., 183. 

Arnold, Isaac G., 183, 205. 

Arnold, Col. Jacob, 49, 176, ^77* 
181, 182, 183, 185, 193, 205, 
260, 264, 265, 341, 437. 

Arnold, Samuel, 183. 

Arnuld, Robert, 65. 

Arstin, Cornelius, 54. 

Arstin, Jonah, 54. 

Arstin, Martha, 54. 

Ashley, Pelatiah, 442. 

Axtell, Hon. Charles F., 286. 

Axtell, Major Henry, 184, 287. 

Axtell, Hon. Samuel B., 291. 

Ayers, Jno., Esq., 107. 

Ayers, Samuel, 437. 

Ayers, , 131, 

B 

Backover, Lieut., 370. 

Bailey, Abigail, 366. 

Bailey, Abner, 54. 

Bailey, Benjamin, 53, 58, 65, 108. 



Bailey, Letitio, 54, 60. 

Baird, Lewis P., 89. 

Baley, Samuel, 65. 

Baldwin, Dr. Abraham, 336, 341, 
342, 344- 

Baldwin, Lieut. Daniel, 186. 

Baldwin, Samuel, 59. 

Baldwin, Stephen, 176. 

Baldwin, officer, 302. 

Baldwins, of Virginia, 136. 

Ball, Joshua, 54. 

Ball, Mary, 322. 

Ball, Prudence, 322. 

Ball, Capt. Samuel, 186. 

Ball, , 8. 

Ballwin, Jonathan, 257. 

Barker, , 340. 

Barnard, Gov., 112. 

Barnes, Rev, Albert, D. D., 345, 434. 

Bates, Maj. David, 186. 

Bates, Solomon, 65. 

Bear, Big, 18. 

Beach, Abner, 54. 

Beach, Benjamin, 54, 60. 

Beach, Epenetus, 176. 

Beach, Ezekiel, 265. 
330, Beach, Jabez, 193. 

Beach, Jacber, 176. 

Beach, John, 193. 

Beach, Joseph, 186, 193, 393. 

Beach, William, 439. 
180, Beadel, Jacob, 65. 
206, Beadel, John, 65. 

Beam, William, 446. 

Beaty, George, 265. 

Beaty, Lieut. John, 307, 308. 

Beers, Abraham, 437. 

Belcher, Gov. Jonathan, 102, 103, 
104. 

Benedict. Historian, 77. 

Benjamin, Herick, 65. 

Berry, Paulus, 60. 

Bests, Adam, 176. 

Bettin, Capt. Adam, 373, 374, 380, 

383. T , 
Bevins, John, 194. 
Bevins, Lieut. Wilder, 341. 
Biddle. Clement, 348. 
Bird, Elisha, 59. 
Binns, Thomas, 338, 340, 341. 
Bishop, Daniel, 193. 
Blackstone, William, 431. 
Bleeker, Anthony L., 264. 

xliv 



INDEX OF PERSONS 



Bleecker, .Teams, 87, 193. 

Bleecker, Capt. Leonard, 341. 

Bloomfield, Joseph, 273, 274. 

Bloomfield, Moses, 274- 

Blowers, John, 178, 182. 

Bobet, Isaac, 105. 

Boldsburg, Samuel, 176. 

Bowlby, Charles, 265. 

Bowlby, Edward, 264. 

Bollen, James, 193. 

Bcllen, John, 437. 

Bond, Elihu, 416. 

Bond, (and Pain). 264. 

Bondinot, Rev. Elias, D. D., 400. 

Bowman, Mrs. J. B., 321. 

Boyd, Colonel, 276. 

Boyle, Adam, 265. 

Boyles, Solomon, 65. 

Bradley, Colonel, 340. 

Bridden, Joseph, 64. 

Bridge, Thomas, 65. 

Broadwell, Samuel, 193. 

Broadwell, William, 65. 

Brookfield, Capt., 83. 

Brookfield, Tames, 363. 

Brookfield, Job, 87. 

Brookfield, John, 65. 

Brooks, Col. John, 339. 

Brooks, Mr., 77. 

Brown, Benjamin, 349. 

Brown, Rev. Isaac, 231, 232. 

Brown, Thomas, 309. 

Brown, Uriah, 69, 70, 71, 127. 

Bruen, Capt. Jeremiah. 338, 339, 341. 

Bruen, Joseph, 193, 363. 

BrufT, Lieut. James, 341. 

Brutus, 144. 

Budd, Barnabas, 185. 

Budd, Dr. Bern, 128, 131, 132, 134, 

135. 137. 267. 
Budd, Dave D., 437. 
Budd, John, 12. 
Budd, Mrs., 132. 
Bull, Sitting, 18. 
Burg, Henry, 65. 
Burgoyne, Gen., 329. 
Burk, Edward, 30S. 
Burnet, J., 349. 

Burnet, Dea. Matthias, 107, 108, no. 
Burnet, William, 437. 
Burt, Mary, 54. 

Bush, , 340. 

Buskirk, Laurence, 265. 
Buskirk, Lieut. -Col., 341. 
Butler, Richard, 233. 
Buxwell, John, 65. 



"Caldwell, Parson," 397. 
Cammer, Wood, 194. 
Camfield, Israel, 438, 442. 
Campbell, Capt. -Lieut. Thomas, 241. 
Campfield, Isaac, 438. 
Campfields, Jabez, 194. 
Campfield, John, 178, 182, 313, 341, 

348. 
Campfield, Mary, 54. 
Campfield, Dr. William, 438, 441, 

442, 443- 
Canem, Thomas, 306. 
Canfield, Isaac, 438. 
Canfield, J. C, 178. 
Canfield, John, 178, 182. 
Canfield, V. Stephenson, 265. 
Carle, Jacob, 306. 
Carle, John, 152, 157. 
Carmichael, Alexander, 107, 108, 265, 

438, 44 1- 
Carnes, Ephraim, 178. 
Carter, Benjamin, 66, 370. 
Caterlin, Francis, 306. 
Caterlin, Francis, Jr., 306. 
Chambers, Robart, 261. 
Champion, Lt.-Col. Henry, 348, 341. 
Charles, First, 137. 
Cheevers, Ezekiel, 313. 
Cheevers, Jonathan, no. 
Church, Major Thomas, 341- 
Claiborne, R., 349. 
Clark, Abagail, 54. 
Clark, Elizabeth, 54. 
Clark, Isaac, 261. 
Clark, John, 54, 60. 
Clark, "Mary, 54. 
Clay, Hon. Henry, 92. 
Cline, Jacob, 261. 
Cline, Peter, 261. 
Clinton, Col., 286, 311. 
Clinton, Sir Henry, 376. 
Cobb, 8. 

Coshran, Dr. John C, 313. 349. 363. 
Coe, Benjamin, 54, 58, 66, 108. 
Coe, Esther, 53. 
Coe, Joseph, 53, 58, 60, 66, 172. 
Coe, Joseph, jr., 53, 58, 64, 68. 
Coe, Judith, 53. 
Coe, Rachel, 54. 
Cogswell, Nathaniel, 60. 
Cole, Benjamin, 66. 
Cole, James, 54, 66. 
Cole, Phebe, 54. 
Coleman, Daniel, 437. 
Coleman, Joseph, 437. 
Coleman, 



xlv 



INDEX OF PERSONS 



Colfax, Lieut. William, 340. 

Collins, Rev. Aaron C, 434. 438. 

Coiwell, James, 261. 

Comton, David, 313- 

Condict, Capt. Ebenezer, 186. 

Condict, Jabez, 194. 

Condict, Dr. Lewis, 182, 256, 442. 

Condict, Silas, ill, 161, 164, 169, 170. 

171, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 266, 

402. 
Condict, Silas B., 189, 316. 
Condict, Mrs. Silas, 226. 
Condict, Sims, 437. 
Conger, Enoch, 194. 
Conger, Experience, 54. 
Congar, Daniel, 88. 
Conklin, Abigail, 54. 
Conklin, John, 88. 
Conklin, Jonathan, 306. 
Conklin, Mr., 261. 
Conklin, Sally, 434. 
Conklin, Stephen, 261. 
Conlife, Joseph, 265. 
Conner, Michael, 437. 
Connor, Adjt. Morgan, 241, 341. 
Cook, Col. Ellis, 156, 161, 164, 306, 

363. 391- ,. 
Cook, Miss Eliza, 72. 
Cook, George W., 439. 
Cook, Happy, 83. 
Cook, James, 170. 
Cooke, John, 176. 
Cook, (Spring), 297. 
Cooper, Benjamin, 118, 119, 120, 128, 

i3 r > J 32, 134- 
Cooper, Daniel, 66, 118. 
Cooper, Dorothea, 113. 
Cooper, Ichabod, ill. 
Cornell, Edward, 194. 
Cornwallis, Lord, 245. 
Cortlandt, Philip V., 152, 155. 
Courter, John, 60. 
Cory, Capt., 267, 269. 
Craig, Col., 306, 311, 340. 
Craig, Capt. Isaac, 341. 
Crane, Augustus, 189. 
Cramer, John, 340. 
Crane, Ichabod, 437. 
Crane, John, 176. 
Crane, Matthias, 437, 442. 443- 
Crawford, Samuel, 306. 
Croell, Seth, 261. 
Cudleigh, Lady,' 78. 
Cullen, William, 88. 
Cumton, William, 261. 
Cundit, Mary, 53. 
Cundit, Phebe, 53. 
Cundit, Peter, 53, 58, 66, no. 
Cundit, Philip, 53, 58, 66, 194. 

xlvi 



Curtis, Fred'k F., 48. 
Curtis, (V. Ogden), 264. 

Curtis, , 340. 

Cutler, Hon. Augustus W., 170, 221. 

406. 
Cutler, Jesse, 437- 
Cutler, Gen. Joseph W., 170, 225. 
Cutler, Mrs. Julia R., 226. 
Cutler, Uriah, 54, 58, 66, 194- 

D 

Dallas, Archibald, 164. 
Dalglas, David, 194. 
Darling, Thomas, 66. 
Davis, Henry H., 108. 
Day, Anthony, 438. 
Day, Benjamin, 194. 
Day, Ezekiel, 194. 
Day, George, 194. 
Day, Jonathan, 194. 
Day, John, 66, 395. 
Day, Munson, 438. 
Day, Phebe, 170, 438. 
Day, Capt. Samuel, 54- 
Day, Samuel, 66, 170, 186, 363. 
Day, Silas, 438. 
Day, Stephen, Esq., 321. 
Day, Capt. William, 363. 
Day, Zeruiah, 54. 
Dayton, Gen. Elias, 223, 273, 311, 

341, 368, 389. 
Dayton, Gen. Jonathan, 400. 
De Grasse, Count, 389. 
De Hart, Col. William, 153, 154, 

159, 161, 164, 165, 166, 167, 169, 

183, 186, 227, 311. 
De Hart, Dr. Matthias, 154. 
De Kalb, Baron, 349, 365- 
Demarest, Jacob, 265. 
Denman, Samuel, 176. 
D'Estaing, Count, 276. 
Devenport, Humphrey, 265. 
De Voir, Luke, 188. 
Dickerson, Jesse, 194. 
Dickerson, John, 263, 265. 
Dickerson, Jonathan, Esq., 1 11, 172, 

442. 
Dickerson, Mahlon, 172. 
Dickerson, Gen. Philemon, 194, 242. 
Dickerson, Capt. Peter, 156, 158, 

161, 164, 169, 172, 173, 184, 188, 

237, 254, 265. 
Dickerson, Thomas, 172. 
Doughty, Gen. John, 184, 222, 356, 

357- 358, 359. 442- 
Dow, Mrs., 113. 
Drake, Col. Jacob, 156, 157, 161, 164, 

266. 



INDEX OF PERSONS 



Draper, Dr., 261. 
Draper, George, 349- 
Drum, Capt. Jacob, 186. 
Drummond, John, 233. 
Duglas, William, 64. 
Dusingsley, Le Ch., 348. 
Dunn, Cary, 263. 
Dunn, Capt., 237. 
Dunn, William A., 284. 
Dunham, Asher, 265. 

Durfee, , 341. 

Durkee, Col., 340. 

Duychinck, Gerardus, 258, 259, 



Easton, Richard, 66. 
Easton, Richard, Jr., 66. 
Eaton, Rev. Isaac, 88. 
Edmiston, Daniel, 176. 
Edwards, Thomas, 341. 
Ellsworth, Adjt. Peter, 341. 
Ely. Edwin A., 411. 
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 154. 
Erskine, Robert, 286, 341, 349. 
Esborn, Hir. , 66. 
Esler, John, 178. 
Ester, John, 178. 
Estey, Betsey, 439. 
Estey, David, 439. 
Ested, May Moses, 438. 
Extill, Timothy, 437. 



Faesch, John Jacob, 438. 
Faesch, Richard B., 439. 
Fairchild, Anna, 53. 
Fairchild, Caleb, 53, 58. 
Fairchild, Ebenezer, 66. 
Fairchild, Gorshom, 66. 
Fairchild, Hannah, 53. 
Fairchild, Joseph, 66, 88. 
Fairchild, Phimehas, 194, 392. 
Fairchild, Rebecca, 54. 
Fairchild, Timothy, 437. 
Fairchild, Zachariah, 58, 62, 66. 
Farrand, Rhoda, 323. 
Farrand, Samuel A., 323. 
Farrand, Lieut., 323. 
Fenery, George T. , 437. 
Feper, John, 66. 

Fitch, , 340. 

Fleming. Col. Edward, 266. 
Fleury, George W., 446. 
Force, Timothy, 437. 
Ford, Chilson, 438. 
Ford, Capt. David, 442, 444. 
Ford, Elizabeth, 204. 



Ford, Hon. Gabriel H., 204, 364, 

365, 438, 442. 
Ford, Plannah, 53. 
Ford, Col. Jacob, St., 48, S3. S8, 

62, 64, 65, 66, 67, 107, 108, 109, 

in, 118, 149, I5i» >52, 153. 154. 

156, 205, 210, 2u, 440, 442. 
Ford, Col. Jacoo, Jr., 184, 188, 189, 

190, 199, 200, 201, 203, 204, 205, 

311, 314, 364. 
Ford, Jacob, 204. 
Ford, James, 176. 
264. Ford, John, 12, 58, 65. 
Ford, Martha, 54. 
Ford, Nathan, 438. 
Ford, Phebe, 204. 
Ford, Samuel, 63, 117, 437. 
Ford. Samuel, Jr., 117, 118, 119, 120, 

121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 

128, 129, 130, 131, 135, 136, 137, 

138. 
Ford, Theodosia, 314, 316. 
Ford, Timothy, 204, 324. 
Ford, William, 137. 
Fouler, Joseph, 66. 
Fowler, Benjamin, 66. 
Fowler, Hannah, 54. 
Fowler, Joseph, 54. 
Fox, Capt. Joseph, 340. 
Fox, Rev. Norman, D. D., 83. 
Franklin, Benjamin, 244. 
Franklin, Gov. William, 134. 
Frazey, Jacob, 194. 
Freeman, Benjamin, 49, 66. 
Freeman, Benjamin, Jr., 176. 
Freeman, Daniel, 394. 
Freeman, Elijah, 176. 
Freeman, Hannah, 53. 
Freeman, Moore, 362. 
Freeman, Stephen, 53, 58, 64. 
Freeman, Zopher, 87, 194. 
French, Charles, 439. 
French, Richard, 66. 
Frost, James, 66. 
Frost, Samuel, 66. 
Frost, William, 66. 
Funhill, Stephen, 194. 



Gain, Hugh, 263. 
Gano, Rev. John, 80, 81, 82, 85. 
Garagrace, Jacob, 66. 
Gage, Gen. ,229, 233. 
Gambles, Mr., 308. 
Gardner, Christopher, 194. 
Gardner, Henry, 66, no, 194. 
Gardner, William, Jr., 66, 194. 
Gates, Gen., 85. 



xlvii 



INDEX OF PERSONS 



Gibbs, Major Caleb, 315. 340, 349- 

Gist, Gen. Mordecai, 229, 341- 

Gildersleeve, Zopher, 66. 

Goadsby, Thomas, 403. 

Glover, Gen., 85. 

Gobel, Benjamin, 87, 88, 194. 

Gobel, Ephraim, 87. 

Gobel, Garshom, 87. 

Gobel, Gorge, 88. 

Gobel, Jonas, 66, 79, 194- 

Gobel, Robart, 66, 79, 87, 88, 89. 

Gobel, Simeon, 66. 

Gobel, William, 87. 

Goble, David, 76, 77, 79. 

Goble, Deacon, 83. 

Goble, Ezekiel, 194. 

Goble, Mary, 79. 

Goble, Melatiah, 79. 

Goble, Mrs. Robart, 89. 

Goble, Trune, 437. 

Goddin, David, 66. 

Godfrey, Dr. Carlos E., 315. 

Goldsmith, Josiah, 194. 

Goodenough, — — , 409 



Halsey, Ezra, 66, 107, no, 438. 
Halsey, John, 442. 
Halsey, Capt. Joseph, 437. 
Halsey, Silas, 54, 194. 
Halsey, Stephen, 137. , 
Halsey, William, 137. 
Hall, Lieut. Josiah, 186. 
Hall, Seth, 66. 
Hamilton, Col. Alexander, 221, 

24S. 317. 341. 349. 357- 
Hammel, James, 306. 
Hammer, Lieut. Francis, 341. 
Hancock, Hon. John, 85. 
Hand, Edward, 349. 
Hand, Gen., 278. 
Hand, Silas, 176. 
Hapler, Conrad, 176. 
Harah, George, 176. 
Harrison, Robert H., 349. 
Harrison, Capt. William H., 
401. 
• Harvey, Capt. Elisha, 341. 
Haulbeth, Ebenezer, 116. 
Hathaway, Abraham, 54, 64, 66 



Gorden, Joshua, 437. Hathaway, Benjamin, 66, 104, 

Gordon, David, 133. 134- Hathaway, Benjamin, Jr., 66, 

Gordon, Rev. William, D. D., 212, 186, 191, 192, 194. J 99. 254 

213. 260, 261, 362, 369, 44c 

Graham, , 340. Hathaway, Col. Benoni, 116. 

Gray, Col., 337, 340. Hathaway, Isaac, 437. 

Gray, William, 194. Hathaway, John, 437. , 

Gregory, Seth, 194, 437- Hathaway, John, 437. 

Greene, Gen. Nathanael, 219, 221, Hathaway, Jonathan, 66, 438. 

222, 278, 279, 281, 311, 316, 346, Hathaway, Josiah, 437 



, 176 
148. 

184, 
- 252,' 



348, 368, 389. 
Green, John S, 88, 89. 
G-een, Rev. Rufus S., D. D., 433. 

434- 
Guard, Jeremiah, 188. 
Guerin, John D., 89. 
Guerin, Joshua, 194. 
Guiness, Jabez, 437. 
Guion, Lieut. Isaac, 341. 
Guren, Joshua, 391. 
Greaton, Col., 20*. 
Greenman, Ensign, 341. 
Gridley, Richard, 337- 
Grosvenor, Lt.-Col. Thomas, 338, 
Gwinnup, John, 194. 

340. 

H 

Halsey, Abigail, 54. 
Halsey, Bathiah, 54. 
Halsey, Capt. Benjamin, no. 
Halsey, Benjamin, 66. 
Halsey, Hon. Edmund D., 11, 59. 
286, 296, 336, 437. 



Hathaway, Phebe, 54. 
Hathaway, Philip, 194. 
Hathaway, Sarah, 54. 
Hathaway, Shadrach, 148. 
Hathaway, Silas, 437. 
Hathaway, Simeon, 66. 
Hathaway, Thomas, 188. 
Hawthorne, 20. 
Hay, Lieut. Col., 309. 
Haynes, Samuel, 128, 131, 132, 
Hays, Maj. Samuel, 370. 
Hayward, Daniel, 66, 194. 
Hayward, Joseph, 66. 
Hayward, Shadrach, 66. 
Hayward, Silas D., 437. 
Hayware, William, 194. 
Hazard, Ebenezer, 262, 441. 
Headey, Gilbert, 66. 
Heard, Gen. B. D., 369. 
Heart, Capt. Lieut. Jonathan, 
Heath, Gen. William, 340. 
Henry. Hon. Patrick, 144. 
Herriman, Joseph, 135. 
Helby, Joseph, 29. 
Higgins, , 340. 



137- 



338. 



xlviii 



INDEX OF PERSONS 



Hill, John, 188. 
Hilor, Jacob, 265. 
Hitchcock, Col. Daniel, 208. 
Hoffman, Henry I?., 320. 
Hoffman, Dr. Joseph R., 181. 
Hoffman, Nicholas, 265. 
Hoffman, Philip H.,- 194. 
Hoffman, Mr., 208. 
Hollinshead, Anthony, 265. 
Holloway, Capt. Benjamin, 404, 
Holloway, J. Frank, 404. 
Holloway, John, 66, 194. 
Holloway. Levi, 194. 
Holsey, Anais, 87. 
Holleway, Elijah, 142, 437. 
Hoops, Lieut., 310. 
Hornbecke, Isaac, 265. 
Horton, Rev. Azairah, 265. 
Horton, Ensign Caleb, 186, 363. 

Hosmer, , 340. 

Howard, Joseph, 53, 58, 65. 
Howard, Lieut. -Col., 308. 
Howard, Mary, 53. 
Howard, William, 265. 
Howe, Gen. Robert, 329. 
Howe, Gen., 198. 
Howell, Caleb, 194. 
Howell, Calvin, Esq., 33, 34. 
Howell, Charles, 104, 149. 
Howell, Rachel, 92. 
Howell, George \V., 92. 
Howell, Capt. Silas, 166. 
Hubbart, St. John, 341. 
Hubbell, Rev. Nathaniel, 36. 
Hughes, Capt. Thomas, 341. 
Humphreirl. David, 437. 
Humphreyvil, Ebenezer, 437. 
Hunt, Lieut. Thomas, 341. 
Hunter, Chaplain Andrew, 341. 
Hunter, Miss Eleanor A., 323. 
Hunterdon, Isecher, 66. 
Huntington, John, 166. 
Huntington, Simeon, 362. 
Huntington, Thomas, 60. , 

Huntington, , 340. 

Huske, Thomas, 265. 
Hutson, Samuel, 66. 



Iliff, James, 247, 248, 249. 
Irvine, Gen, William, 220, 310, 

345. 377- 



Jackson, Col. Henry, 341, 349. 
Jayne, Rev. David, 436. 
Jean, Thomas, 437. 



Jefferson, Thomas, 196. 
Jillet, Dr. Elijah, 54. 
Jillet, Jane, 54. 

Johnes, John P., 439. 
ohnes, Rev. Timothy, D. D., 45, 
48, SO, Si. 52, 53, 55, 56, 57, 97, 98, 
99, 104, 107, 109, in, 179, 186, 204, 
209, 217, 237, 239, 240, 243, 244, 
257, 258, 265, 321, 432, 434. 

Johnes, Dr. Timothy, 185, 186. 

Johnes, Lieut. William, 437. 

Johnes, William, 194. 

Johnson, Alexander, 54. 

Johnson, Rev. Baker, 30, 178. 

Johnson, Elisha, 194. 

Johnson, Hannah, 54. 

Johnson, Ichabod, 194. 

Johnson, Jacob, 178, 179. 

Johnson, Jeremiah, 66. 

Johnson, John, 54. 

Johnson, Mrs. John, 54. 

Johnson, Mahlon, 113. 

Johnson, Lieut. Richard, 184, 186, 
188, 194, 438. 

Johnston, Col. Francis, 305, 306, 307, 
3»- 

Johnston, Gen., 220. 

Jollomous, Peter, 88. 

Jones, Paul, 278, 290. 

Jones, , 85. 

Judd, , 340. 



Kay, John, 28, 29. 

Keepore, Lieut. Moses, 186. 

Kelsey, Major, 261. 

Kemble, Peter, 66, 229, 230, 231, 254, 
279, 288, 375. 

Kemble, Richard, 229-231. 

Kemble, Ann, 231. 

Kemble, Ann Edwards, 231. 

Kemble, Elizabeth, 231. 

Kemble, Elizabeth, 231. 

Kemble, Robert T., 231. 

Kent, Rodolphus, 442. 

Kent, (or Kint) Thomas, 66, 104. 

Kermichael, Elizabeth, 54. 

Ketchell, Joseph, Esq., 107, 108, 194. 

King, Fradreck, 87, 184, 194, 262. 

King, Henry, 441, 442. 

King. John, 128. 

King, Joseph, 116. 

King, Adgt. Kiten, 370. 

Kinney, Abraham, 438. 

Kinney, John, 438. 

Kinney, (or Kenney) Thomas, no. 
124, 128, 129, 134, 135, 136, 138, 176, 
177,180, 206, 256, 311, 338, 339, 341. 



xlix 



INDEX OF PERSONS 



Kinney, Mrs. Thomas, 134. 
Kinney, Lieut., 271, 272, 273. 
Kirkpatrick, Corp. John, 437. 
Kissell, Gustav A., 406. 
Kitchells, — — , 9. 
Kitchell, Abraham, 8, 9, 10, 64, 135, 

136, 161, 164. 
Kitchell, Hon. Aaron, 118, 265. 
Kitchell, C. Ross, 10. 
Kitchell, Charles M., 10. 
Kitchell, David, 10. 
Kitchell, Grace, 118, 119, 135, 137. 
Kitchell, Rev. A. D., 9. 
Kitchell, James, 135, 234. 
Kitchell, Robert, 9. 
Kitchell, Samuel, 9. 
Kitchell, Uzall, 10, 391. 
Kitchell, Zenas, 10. 
Kollock, Sheppard, 407. 
Knapp, Uzall, 316. 
Kosciusko, Thaddeus, 244, 245. 
Knox, Gen. Henry, 302, 303, 304, 306, 

329. 345. 358. 
Knyphausen, Lieut. -Gen., 368. 



Lacey, Joseph, 66. 

Lafayette, Gen., 340. 

Losey, John, 376. 

Lambert, Joshua, 194. 

Laporte, John, 55. 

Lawrence, Lieut. -Col. John, 331, 332, 

34i, 348. 
Layton, Peter, 66. 
Layton, Daniel, 194. 
Leddell, Mary E., 382, 384, 3»5- 
Leddell, Sarah, 53. 
Leddell, Dr. William, 272, 352, 380, 

381, 382, 383, 384- 
Lee, Gen. Charles, 277. 
Lee, Maj. Henry, 277. 
Lee, Josiah, 66. 
Lee, Richard Henry, 196. 
Leonard, David, 194. 
Lepard, John, 88. 
Leslie, Gen., 200. 
Lewis, Joseph, Esq., ill, 194, 307, 

321, 346, 347, 438, 439, 440, 442. 
Lewis, Lieut. Samuel, 341. 
Lenoux, Gertrude, 357. 
Lickamore, Daniel, 194. 
Lincoln, Abraham, 300. 
Lincton, Hanah, 88. 
Lincoln, Gen., 220. 
Lindley, Lieut. -Col. Eleazar, 263, 278. 
Lindley, Elizabeth. 53. 
Lindley, Capt. John, 53, 66, 87, 260. 
Lindsleys, , 9. 



Lindsley, , 8. 

Lindsley, Benjamin, Esq., 110. 
Lindsley, Daniel, Elder, 64, 66, 110, 

437, 442- 
Lindsley, Francis, 255. 
Lindsley, J. Frank, 390. 
Lindsley, Jonathan, 46, 107, 148. 
Lindsley, Joseph, 60, 184, 186, 189, 

191, 192, 258, 261, 392. 
Lindsley, Juniah, 66. 
Lindsley, Naomi, 437. 
Lindsley, Philip, m. 
Lindsley, Zenas, 437. 

Lister, , 49. 

Little, Miss, 48. 

Little, William, 349. 

Livingstone, Lieut. Gilbert R, 341. 

Livingstone, Gov. William, 213, 223, 

246, 248, 359, 369, 380, 398. 
Livingstone, 311. 
Locey, James Puff, 257. 
Lorain, Joseph, 338, 340. 
Loree, Harvey, 293. 
Loring, Benjamin, 267, 268. 
Losey, Timothy, 188. 
Ludlum, Abraham, Jr., 194. 
Ludlum, Cread, 66. 
Ludlow. Abraham, 88, 194. 
Ludwick, Mr., "the baker", 308. 
Lum, David, 66. 
Lum, Matthew (or Matthias), 53, 58, 

64, 66, 105, 107, 253. 
Lum, Jemima, 54, 253. 
Lum, Susanna, 53. 
Lyon, Mattamah, 54. 
Lyttle, , 311. 

M 

Macin, Capt. Thomas, 341. 
Mackee, Peter. 112, 194, 253. 
Maclure, Col. Thomas, 341. 
McCarter, Dr. Charles, 341. 
McDaniels, John, 437. 
MacFeran, Elizabeth, 66. 
MacFeran, John, 66. 
Mahan, Shadows, 194. 
McClenachan, Charles F., 338, 339. 
McClintock, LL.D., Emory, 270, 

283, 288, 296, 301. 
McCollum, Charles H., 298. 
McDougall, Gen. Alexander, 201, 

202. 
Mahurin, Ebenezer, 54, 58. 
Mahurn, Mrs., 54. 
Mann, Jacob, 441, 445. 
Manning, Benjamin, 266. 
Manning, Rev. James, 80, 83. 
Marsh, George, 437. 



INDEX OF PERSONS 



Marsh, John, 66. 

Marsh, William, 437. 

Marshel, William, 437. 

Martin, John, 246. 

Masco, John, 241. 

Maxwell, Gen. William, 220, 243, 
310, ail, 329, 341, 368. 

Meade, K. K., 349. 

Mee, John, 247. 

Meeker, Jacob, 437. 

Meigs, Col., 340. 

Melick, Jr., Andrew D., 350. 

Melick, John W., 385, 3,86. 

Mentges, Lieut. -Col. rrancis, 341. 

Mercer, Archibald, 259. 

Milen. John, 176. 

Milledge, Thomas, 228, 265. 

Miller, Benjamin, 79, 80. 

Miller, James (Jeams), 87, 394. 

Miller, William, 60. 

Mills, David, 437, 442. 

Mills, Daniel, 437. 

Mills, Edward, 442. 

Mills, George, 437. 

Mills, Henry, 438. 

Mills, Jedediah, 194. 

Mills, jobe, 437. 

Mills, John, 438. 

Mills, Samuel, 66. 

Mills, Sarah, 66. 

Mills, Capt. Timothy, 54, 66, 105, 107, 
no. 

Mills, Timothy, Jr., 194. 

Mills. Mr., 261. 

Minthorn, John, 176. 

Minton, Philip, 194. 

Mintus, John, 176. 

Mitchell, Hezekiah, 437. 

Monson, Abraham, 194. 

Monson, Morris, 60, 87, 194. 

Monson, Moses, 87. 

Monson, Waitstill, (or Wartstill), 

80, 194. 
Montgomery, Gen., 326. 
Moody, James, 246, 247. 
Moore, Major, 308. 
Moore, Mary, 265. 
Moore, Stephen, 194. 
More, David, 66. 
More, Sarah, 66. 

Morgan, Benjamin, Esq., 253, 254. 
Morehouse, John, 60, 62. 
Morrell, Jacob, 194. 
Morrell, Thomas, no. 
Morgan, Gen. Daniel, 232, 233, 389. 
Morris, Elder, 66. 
Morris, Maj. Joseph, 166, 186. 
Morris, Gov. Lewis, 60. 
Morris, Mary, 66. 



Morris, Robert, Esq., 387, 439. 

Morrison, Capt., 260. 

Mould, Walter, 403, 404. 

Moylan, Jno., 349. 

Muchmore, John, 66. 

Muir, David, 66, 194. 

Munson, Col. John, 246. 

Munson, Samuel, 66, 194. 

Munson, Solomon, 53, 58, 66, 88, 194. 

Munson, Tamar, 53. 

Munson, Mr., 236. 

Murgatroyd, Rev. Edwin R., 3. 

N 

Night, Commissary, 307. 
Nixon, Col. John, 84, 85. 
Norris, Robert, 237, 254, 327. 
Nutman, Abigail, 54. 
Nutman, James, Esq., 36. 
Nutman, Rev. John, 36, 39, 40, 44. 
Nutman, Samuel, 54, 58. 



O 



O'Brien, Capt. Jeremiah, 291. 

Ogden, Abraham, Esq., no, 152. 

Ogden, David, 194. 

Ogden, Jonathan, 194. 

Ogden, Lewis, 338. 

Ogden, Col. Matthias, 404. 

Ogden, Moses, 338. 

Ogden, Robert, Jr., 404. 

Ogden, Col. Samuel, 130, 131, 152. 

IS7- 
Ogden (& Curtis), 264. 

Ogden, , 259. 

O'Hara, George, 372, 442. 
O'Hara, Capt., 253. 
Oharrow, George, 437. 
Oharrow, John, 172. 
Oharrow, Sarah, 172. 
Olney, George, 349. 
Olds, Benjamin, 413. 
Oliver, Mr., 83. 
Oliver, Samuel, 194. 
Osborn, Jonathan, 62, 64. 
O. J. D., 357- 



Pack, , 49. 

Pain (& Bond), 264. 
Parker, Benjamin, 66. 
Parker, Nathaniel, 66. 
Parkest, John, 66. 
Parsels, Peter, 194. 
Parset, Peter, 176. 
Parson, Aaron, 176. 



IXDEX OF PERSONS 



Parson, Abraham, 446. 

Parson, Martha, 446. 

Peck, Timothy, 194. 

Peckman, Lieut. Benjamin L., 341. 

Person, Elijah, 87. 

Person, Joseph, 66. 

Person, Moses, 88. 

Persons, Abraham, 63, 68, 88. 

Phillips, George, 194. 

Phillips, Jonas, no. 

Phoenix, Alexander, 438. 

Phoenix, Daniel, Jr., 438, 441. 

Pickens, Colonel, 276. 

Pickering, Col. Timothy, 220, 441. 

Pierce, Jonathan, 340, 349. 

Pierson, Aaron, 441. 

Pierson, Abraham, 194. 

Pierson, Benjamin, 53, 63, no. 

Pierson, Benjamin, Jr., 194. 

Pierson, Darins, 316. 

Pierson, Isaac, no, 194. 

Pierson, Mrs. Isaac R., 50, 100. 

Pierson, Joseph, Jr., 394. 

Pierson, Patience, 194. 

Pierson, Samuel F., 418. 

Pierson, Uzall, 437. 

Pigot, Gen., 276. 

Pitcher, Moll, 263. 

Pitney, Benjamin, 257. 

Pitney, James, 225. 

Pond, Capt., 338. 

Poor, Gen., 85. 

Porter, Lieut., 276. 

Potter, Zebulon, 66. 

Price, Isaac, 66. 

Price, Nathan, 53. 

Price, Sarah, 66. 

Primrose, Henry, 66, 104. 

Proctor, Col. Thomas, 341, 349. 

Prost, Daniel, 66. 

Prudden, Isaac, 194. 

Prudden, Joanna, 53. 

Prudden, Joanna, 53. 

Prudden, Rev. John, 31, 36. 

Prudden, Joseph, 53, 58, 66, 105, 107, 

no. 
Prudden, Patience, 53. 
Prudden, Peter, 53, no, 194. 
Prudden. Moses, no, 186, 194. 
Pruden, Cvrus, 416. 
Pruden, Martha D., 416. 



Rattan, Daniel, 66. 
Rattan, Peter, 66. 
Read, Charles, 103. 
Read, Joseph, 318, 348. 
Reaves, Jonathan, 66. 



Reaves, Nathan, no. 
Remsen, Col. Henry, 265. 
Reynolls, David, 128, 131, 132, 133. 
Richards, Rev. James, D. D., 412, 

434, 435- 436. 442. 
Richards, John, 32, 33, 36, 109. 
Richards, William, 340. 
Rivington, James, 157. 
Riggs, Elias, 438. 
Riggs, Giddeon, 66. 
Robards, Alexander, 54. 
Robards, Anna, 54. 
Robarts, Samuel, 104, no, in, 194. 
Robart, John, 66, 194. 
Roberts, Daniel, 66. 
Roberts, John, 194. 
Robertson, Sheriff, 131. 
Robinson, John, 338. 
Rodgers, Jedediah, 194. 
Rodney, Captain, 204. 
Rogers, Chaplain, 85, 341. 
Rogers, James, 66. 
Rogers, Nathaniel, 66. 
Rogers, Ransford, 407, 413, 417, 418, 

419, 420, 421, 422, 425, 426, 427, 

428, 430, 431. 
Rolf, Robert, 194. 
Ross, Samuel, 66. 
Ruckman, Jonathan, 267, 268. 
Runyon, Rev. Reune, 92. 
Runyon, Richard, 66. 
Russell, Caleb, in, 438, 439, 441, 442. 
Russell, Charles, 439. 
Russell, Col., 440. 
Russell, Eliza P., 439. 
Russell, Henry P., 438, 439. 
Russell, Robert N., 439. 
Rutan, Abraham, 437. 
Ryckman, Capt. YVilhelmus, 341. 
Ryerson, Samuel, 265. 



Sanford, Capt. John, 341. 
Saunders, Peter, 246, 247. 
Savidge, Capt. John, 341. 
Sayre, Dea. Ephraim, 363. 
Sayre, Samuel, 66. 
Schuyler, Miss, 363, 365. 
Schuyler, Dr. Nicholas, 341. 
Schuyler, Hon. Philip, 213, 258, 363. 
Searing James, 176. 
Sears, Daniel, 66. 
Sergeant, Mr., in. 
Serin, Samuel, 87. 
Shadwick, John, 88. 
Shaw, Capt. Samuel, 341. 
Sherburne, Col. Henry, 341. 
Sherman, Sergt. Abigah, 437. 



Hi 



INDEX OF PERSONS 



Sherman, Col., 340. 

Shipman, Lawyer, 30. 

Shipman, Mr., 30. 

Shippen, Dr., 217. 

Shute, Mr., 411. 

Sill. Paymaster Richard, 338. 

Skinner, C, 103. 

Skinner, Mr. 124, 125. 

Skinner, Stephen, 265. 

Smith, Daniel, 194, 264. 

Smith, Rev. Hezekiah, 81, 82, 83, 84, 

85- 
Smith, Henry M., 221. 
Smith, James, 176. 
Smith, John, 114. 
Smith, Nehemiah, 218. 
Smith, Rev. William, D. D., 337. 
Smith, William P., 266. 
Southard, Solomon, 88. 
Spear, Ensign, 309. 
Spears, Lieut. Edward, 341. 
Spenser, Daniel, 437. 
Spenser, Mrs., 273. 
Stagg, Paymaster John, 341, 349. 
Stagg, Peter, 54. 
Stark, Aaron, Jr., 88. 
Stark, Gen. John, 283, 287, 311. 
Stark, John, 88. 
Stark, Molly, 283, 
Starr, Col., 340. 
Steele, Isaac, 79. 
Steele, Capt. John, 366, 368. 
Steele, Rachel Carr, 366. 
Steele, Capt. William, 366. 
Stephenson (& Canfield), 265. 
Steuben, Baron, 357. 
Stevens, John, 121. 
Stevenson, Thomas, 29. 
Stewart, John, 194, 265. 
Stiles, Chilion, 439. 
Stiles, Comfort, 54. 
Stiles, Ebenezer, 393. 
Stiles, Jacob, 439. 
Stiles, Jonathan, Esq., 11, no, 152, 

156, 161, 164, 169, 184, 194, 255. 
Stiles, Jonathan, Jr., 154, 155. 
Stiles, Joseph, 54, 66, 108, 194. 
Stiles, Silas, 176, 194. 

Stiles. , 8. 

Still, John, 437. 

Stirling, Lord, 120, 130, 131, 309, 311, 

345. 349. 3(>7- 
Stites. John, Esq., 81. 
Stryker, Gen. William, 397. 
Suerd, Eliacam, 54. 
Sullivan, Gen., 277. 
Summers, Lieut. Peter, 341. 
Sutton, Daniel, 79. 
Sutton, Jeremiah, 83. 



liii 



Sutton, John, 79. 
Sutton, Samuel, 66. 
Sweasy, Samuel, 54, 64. 
Sweasy, Susanna, 54. 
Swift, Col., 340. 

Symmes. Anna, 396, 398, 400, 401. 
Symmes, Hon. John Cleves, 395, 396, 
397. 398, 399. 401. 



Templeton, William, 194. 

Ten Eyck, Capt, Henry, 341. 

Tennent, Rev. Gilbert, 43. 

Tharp, William, 67. 

Thatcher, Dr., 320, 325, 371. 

Thompson, David, 164. 

Thompson, James, 349. 

Thompson. Mrs., 317, 318. 

Thompson, Stephen, 438. 

Thoss, Ezekiel, 194. 

Throp, John, 265. 

Tichenor, Caleb, 54, 67. 

Tichenor, John, 176. 

Tichenor, Joseph, 58. 

Tichenor. Susannah, 54. 

Tighlman, Maj. Tench, 317, 349. 

Titus, Samuel, 258. 

Tompkins, Rev. Ichabod, 86. 

Tomson, Thomas, 67. 

Totten, J. C, 413. 

Totten, Jesper, 67. 

Totten, Jesper, Jr., 67. 

Totten, Sylvenus, 67. 

Tourge, Judge, 322. 

Tripp, H. D., 194. 

Trobridge, David, 67. 

Trowbridge, David, 437. 

Trowbridge, James, 437. 

Troop, John, 246, 247, 263. 

Troop, Esther, 260. 

Tucker, George, 438. 

Tuttle, Rev. Joseph F., D. D., 

LL.D., 3, 4, 5, 9, 21, 22, 30, 133, 

134, 138, 294, 296, 298, 299, 349, 

396. 
Tuttle. Toseph, Esq., 8, 119. 

Tuttle, ' , 8. 

Tuttle, Ensign David, 186. 

Tuttle, Daniel, 395, 399. 

Tuttle, Miss, 395. 

Tuttle, Mrs., 395. 399. 

Tuttle, Samuel, Esq., no, 111, 112, 

114, 115, 130, 131, 156, 255, 261, 441. 
Tuttle, Rev. Samuel L., 4, 9. 
Tuttle, Silas, 1S3. 
Tuttle, Svlvanus. 437. 
Tuttle, Theodorus, 438. 
Tuttle, Timothy, 64. 



INDEX OF PERSONS 



Tuttle, Capt. William, 321. 35". 
Tyson, Matthew, 67. 



Van Cortlandt, Philip. 152. «57, ^5- 
Van Court, John, 264. 
Van Dine, Matthia, 60. 
Vinhorn. Chaplain, 05. 
Van Home, Rev. William, 416. 
' Renselear, Lieut Jerem.ah, 341. 
Van Sant, Capt. Nathaniel, 341. 
Vanwinker, John 170. 
Vreeland, Nicholas, 265. 
Vose, Col., 202. 

W 

Wade, John, 67. 
Walker, Isaac, 437- 
Walling, Daniel, 67, 79- 
Ward, David, Jr., 194- 
Warren, Gen. Joseph, 163. 
Warner, Capt Robert 338, 34°. 
Washington, 84, 85, 86, M7, '55. 

201 202, 206, 209, 212, 213. 

216, 217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 223, 

225, 227, 229. 232, 

239, 240, 241, 242, 

253. 

307. 

328', 329, * 
355! 356, 
167, 370, 4 10 - , 

Wasington, Mrs., 218, 325. 367- 
Watrous Dr. John R., 338, 340. 
V Vavne" Gen. Anthony, 276, 277, 3J3. 
355. 372, 374, 375. 376, 377, 378, 
380, 382. 
Webb, Col. Samuel B., 340. 
Wetmore, Paymaster-Gen., 

kiah, 341- , 
Wheeler, David, 65. 
Wheeler, David G., 437- 
White, Gen. Anthony W., 341- 
Whitfield, Rev. Henry. 9. 
Whitehead, Isaac, 
Whitehead, Isaac, Jr., 



236, 
244. 



237. 
245. 



198, 
215, 
224, 
238. 
246, 



8 £2 '28^285^86, i04,306. 
,07 30 9 : 310, 3". 312, 3X3, 314, 315. 
16, 317, 3i8, 319, 320, 321, 324. 
329. 334, 335, 336, 337. 349, 
' 357, 358, 360, 363, 364, 



Heze- 



332. 333. 



Whitehead, Samuel, 
wKliafHenry, 273, 274, »>. 3 3 r. 

Wic 3 k,°Mrs. Henry, 271, 272, 273. 33» 

Wick, Henry, 67, 194- 

Wick, John B., 291. 

Wick, John, 179, 

Wick, Moses, 179- 

Wick, Polly, 273. 

Wick, "Tempe," 273, 33 1 - 

380, 381-. 
Wick. W ilham, 179- 
\\ iens, Luis, 67. 
Wiggins, Sarah, 79- 
Wigton, Samuel, 176. 
Wilkinson, Gen., 401. 
Williams. Gen. Otho, 34*. 
Wills, John, 28. 

SS'den. William .49. «»»* 

161, 164, 165, 166, 186, 242, 261. 
Winger, Joseph, 194- 
Wingit, Joseph, 67. 
Wingit, Ruben, 67. 
Witenac, Bliker, 67. 
Witherspoon, Dr. Jonm 320. 
Wolfe, Dr. Theodore F., 14- 
Wood, Bethiah, 54- 
Wood, James, 439. 
Wood, Jonathan, 67, 88. 
Wood, Toseph, 67, no. 
Wood, Phebe, no. 
Woods, John, 415- 
Woodford, Thomas, 349- 
Woodhull, Nathaniel, 194- 
Woodruff, Francis E., 380. 381 
Woodruff, John, 437, 439- 
Woodward, Lieut. Peter, 341. 
Woodward, Israel, 264. 
Woolley, Isaac, 437- 
Wooster, Gen., 328. 
Worth, Alexander, 250. 
Worthington, 340, 349- 
Wyllie, Col. S., 338, 340. 



Young, David, 4J2, 413- 
Young, Robert, 194. 



194. 



liv 



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lvi 




CHAPTER I. 



"Our forest life was rough and rude, 
And dangers closed us round, 
But here amid the green old wood, 
Freedom was sought and found." 

ORRISTOWN, New Jersey, was 
originally settled by a few persons 
from what is now Whippany, a man- 
ufacturing village in the present 
township of Hanover, situated about 
four miles to the eastward of the 
beautiful county seat of Morris 
County. 

Before proceeding, however, to relate the circum- 
stances under which Morristown was first settled by 
the whites, it seems desirable, particularly for the pur- 
pose of establishing, approximately at least, certain 
dates in connection therewith; and of ascertaining al- 
so, as nearly as is now practicable, the character of the 
early settlers, that the reader be made acquainted with 
the circumstances attending the settlement of Whip- 




HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

pany by the whites, since the two occurrences, as will 
be seen, are intimately related. 

A careful and unbiased examination by the writer of 
this history of all available sources of information 
bearing directly and indirectly upon the subject, has 
resulted in the conclusion that before the close of the 
seventeenth century — as early probably as about the 
year 1685 — the whites had found their way into the re- 
gion now known as Morris County, New Jersey. In 
corroboration of the above mentioned conclusion the 
following extract from the "Historical Collections of 
the State of New Jersey," by Messrs. John W. Barber 
and Henry Howe, published in the year 1844 is pre- 
sented: "The township (Whippany) was first settled 
about 1685, soon after the settlement of Newark, and 
is supposed to have been the earliest settlement within 
the limits of what is now Morris and Sussex Coun- 
ties." As nearest the bubbling spring on the hillside 
may be found the purest and most refreshing water, 
so, the writer ventures to say, in closest proximity to 
the event, the date of whose occurrence it is desirable 
to establish, may be found (in the conceded absence of 
clear evidence to the contrary) the most reliable and 
satisfactory information bearing upon the matter un- 
der consideration. The extract above quoted, the 
reader will notice, is from a history written sixty-one 
years nearer the date of the settlement of Whippany 
than the present fifth year of the twentieth century and 
is, therefore, presumptively, at least, more likely to 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

represent the facts in the case than more recent ex- 
pressions of opinion. 

Whatever may have been the object of their com- 
ing, or whatever may have been the length of their 
stay in this region, the pioneers of 1685 can, however, 
be regarded as little else than adventurers. Indeed, 
one of the most reliable writers of local history says of 
these early pioneers : "My conjecture is that the orig- 
inal settlers (of Whippanong, now Whippany) may 
have been squatters, making iron from Succasunna 
iron ore, with the boundless forests in the region 
which they converted into coal." Rev. Dr. Joseph F. 
Tuttle, LL. D., from whom the extract just quoted is 
taken, and who, it may be incidentally remarked, has 
been justly termed "the father" of Morris County his- 
tory, was a direct descendant of one of the early set- 
tlers of Whippanong. Of his direct paternal ancestor 
it has recently been said by a Morris County pastor 
(Rev. Edwin R. Murgatroyd, of the Presbyterian 
Church of New Vernon), in connection with com- 
memorative dedicatory services in his own church: "It 
was here (at Whippany) that the grandfather of Rev. 
Dr. Joseph Tuttle, LL.D., president of Wabash Col- 
lege, hammered out a living at the forge." It is practi- 
cally certain that one who was only two generations 
removed from the settlement of Whippanong, was in 
close touch with the early history and tradition of the 
village of which his paternal ancestor was an import- 
ant factor in connection with its settlement and subse- 
quent development. Add to this circumstance the fact 

3 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

that from the year 1847, till the year 1862 — a period of 
fifteen years — Dr. Tuttle was identified, either as col- 
league or as pastor, with the Presbyterian Church at 
Rockaway, in the county of Morris, and that during 
that period he made an exhaustive study of county his- 
tory, the results of which still abide to enrich the pres- 
ent and coming generations, and it must be conceded 
that Dr. Tuttle is deserving of no small measure of 
confidence when he speaks concerning the history of 
Morris County. 

For about the same length of time, and during 
about the same period of Dr. Joseph F. Tuttle's Rock- 
away pastorate, his brother, Rev. Samuel L. Tuttle, 
was pastor of the Madison, New Jersey, Presbyterian 
Church; and it is a fact of no little significance that in 
an historical sermon delivered by the latter about the 
year 1850, he unqualifiedly stated that white settlers 
were in Morris County as early as the year 1685. 

The impulse is irresistible to quote, in the present 
connection, the following, from a comparatively recent 
writer of local history, (Rev. Robert Aikman, D. D., 
pastor of the Presbyterian Church, of Madison, New 
Jersey) in confirmation of the reliability of the broth- 
ers Tuttle, as chroniclers of Morris County history: 
"To both these gentlemen (now deceased) every one 
who gains much knowledge of the early history of this 
portion of New Jersey, will have to confess indebted- 
ness. Both were settled pastors in Morris County, 
and with genuine antiquarian enthusiasm improved 
their opportunities to gain information, while yet there 

4 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

remained among the living, aged men and women who 
remembered old historic scenes, or could repeat the 
recollections of their fathers or mothers." 

It is highly probable, almost certain, indeed, that 
the early white explorers (or "squatters," as Dr. Jo- 
seph F. Tuttle aptly termed them) of what is now 
Morris County, carried back with them to the settle- 
ments whence they had come, information concerning 
the region explored by them, which led to its perma- 
nent settlement a few years later. 

That the first permanent settlement by the whites of 
the region adjacent to what is now Morristown, was 
made not later than the early part of the eighteenth 
century, there can be, and is, in the minds of those 
conversant with the facts, no question; and that this 
permanent settlement was made in what is now the 
busy manufacturing village of Whippany is equally in- 
disputable. In confirmation of the first statement it 
may be said, that on the opening pages of a book, now 
extant, used by the Rev. Jacob Green, the third pas- 
tor of the Presbyterian Church of Hanover, for the 
recording of baptisms, marriages and other parish 
data, there occur the following words, in the handwrit- 
ing of "Parson Green." 

"About the year 1710 a few families removed from New- 
ark and Elizabeth Town and settled on the west side of the 
Pessaick River, in that which is now Morris County. Not 
long after the settlers erected an house for the public worship 
of God on the bank of Whippenung River (about three miles 
west of Pessaick River), about 100 rods below the forge, 

5 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

which is and has long been known by the name of the old 
iron works. There was a church gathered and in the year 
17 — Nathaniel Hubbell was ordained and settled there by 
the Presbytery of New York. About this time (1718 or 
1719) the place obtained the name of Hanover and became 
a township, but the place was most commonly known by 
the Indian name Whippenung." 

The entry above given, a facsimile of the original of 
which in the handwriting of "Parson Green" appears 
in connection with this history, it is important to bear 
in mind, was made in the year 1767, after the Rev. 
Jacob Green had been the pastor of the Hanover Pres- 
byterian Church for the period of about twenty-one 
years; he having been settled over said church, accord- 
ing to his own statement, in the year 1746. 

In the absence of more definite evidence with regard 
to the date of the permanent settlement of what is now 
Whippany — and the writer of this history has searched 
diligently, but in vain, to discover such evidence — the 
entry in the book above mentioned must be accepted 
as the only reliable and satisfactory starting point in 
the study of the early history of Morris County ; so far, 
at least, as its permanent settlement by the English is 
concerned. 

It may, however, be casually remarked, that about 
the year 1700, the Dutch from Bergen and New York, 
and from the early settlements at Kingston and Al- 
bany, on the Hudson River, made a permanent settle- 
ment in the northeastern portion of what is now Mor- 
ris County, at or near what is now Pompton Plains. 

6 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

It is said that the purchase, and subsequent perma- 
nent settlement of what is now Hanover Township, 
came about as follows: The first purchase of land from 
the Indians by the early settlers of Newark (or New 
Worke, as it was at first spelled) extended to the Pas- 
saic River on the east, and on the west, to the base of 
Wachung Mountain. In the year 1678 the western 
limits of the Newark purchase were extended to the 
top of Wachung- Mountain, the consideration given 
the two Indians who deeded the extension to the 
whites, being: "Two guns, three coats and thirteen 
kans (cans) of rum." One of the more adventurous of 
the English settlers living on the east side of the Pas- 
saic River, climbed to the summit of Wachung Moun- 
tain, the height of which varies from 300 to 650 feet, 
and he was so delighted with the view of the Passaic 
Valley which greeted his eyes, that, returning to New- 
ark, he reported in glowing language the result of his 
solitary survey. His description of the beamy of the 
valley upon which his eyes had feasted, and of the evi- 
dent fertility of the soil, so impressed his fellow towns- 
men in public meeting assembled, that it was readily 
voted to purchase the goodly land from the Indians, 
which was subsequently accomplished; and its perma- 
nent settlement soon followed. 

Whippanong — spelled also Whippenung, Whippo- 
nong and occasionally Whippening — is said to signify 
in the Indian language "the arrow." Along the banks 
of the winding river bearing the name from which the 
region first received its designation, there grew, and 

7 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

still grow, the graceful willows from whose smooth 
and slender sticks the aborigines made their arrows for 
hunting purposes, before the incoming of the "pale 
faces," with their guns and powder and shot, and de- 
structive "fire water." 

The settlers of Whippanong came from New Eng- 
land and Old England, by way of Long Island (then 
considered a part of New England), and from Eliza- 
beth Town and Newark, the two latter places having 
been settled in the years 1665 and 1666, respectively. 

That the pioneers of Whippanong were chiefly Eng- 
lish, or of English descent, is clearly evident from the 
names borne by them, among which may be found 
those of Ball, Baldwin, Bowlesby, Cobb, Howell, 
Kitchell, Lindsley, Stiles, Thomas and Tuttle; all, as 
the reader will readily perceive, of Anglo-Saxon deriv- 
ation. If further proof of the nationality, as above 
suggested, of these early pioneers were required, it 
might be added that a reliable chronicler of local his- 
tory explicitly states that "Samuel and Joseph Tuttle 
were from the north of England, near the river Tweed, 
and that Joseph and Abraham Kitchell, brothers, and 
Francis Lindsley were all from England;" and these 
Englishmen just named, be it remembered, were among 
the early white settlers of Whippanong. It is afact of no 
small significance in this connection that in Elizabeth 
and Newark the same names as those of the early 
pioneers of Whippanong, just mentioned, may still be 
found. 

Another authority on local history says : 
8 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

'The Tuttles, Kitchells and Lindsleys came from England, 
first to the New Haven and Connecticut colony, and mi- 
grated thence to New Jersey. * * * Robert Kitchell left 
England in the first ship that ever anchored in New Haven 
(then Quinnipiac) Bay. He and his son Samuel were two of 
the forty-one associates from Milford, Conn., who signed 
the 'fundamental (unchangeable) agreement' in 1667, which 
document the twenty-three associates from Branford, Conn., 
had signed the year previous. They each received their 
home lots in the town of Newark." 

From an apparently reliable authority it is learned 
that the exact date of Robert Kitchell's departure from 
England, was April 26, in the year 1639. He is said 
to have accompanied a party of Puritan refugees, who 
were led by the Rev. Henry Whitfield. In the year 
1666, Robert Kitchell, and his son, Samuel, and a few 
friends, removed to Newark, New Jersey. It was 
Samuel Kitchell's son, Abraham, who was among the 
early settlers of what is now Whippany. Rev. H. D. 
Kitchell, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, published a few 
years since, a book, entitled: "Robert Kitchell, and his 
Descendants." From this book, whose statements bear 
the marks of authenticity, the present writer gleans sev- 
eral facts of special interest, among which are the fol- 
lowing: The author states, in confirmation, as will be 
noticed, of the opinion of the Revs. Joseph and Sam- 
uel Tuttle (already quoted), that before the year 17 10, 
a few pioneers from Newark, including Abraham 
Kitchell, settled on the banks of the Whippanong Riv- 
er west of the great Watchung, now Orange Moun- 
tain. The original settlement was made, in what is 

9 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

now the village of Whippany. The log house built by 
Abraham Kitchell was erected not far from the pres- 
ent (1905) residence of Charles M. Kitchell, in 
Whippany. From Abraham Kitchell to the present 
generation, one line of descent, is David Kitchell, Uzall 
Kitchell, Zenas Kitchell, Charles M. Kitchell. C. Ross 
Kitchell. Abraham Kitchell was a Lieutenant of mili- 
tia in the year 1722, and a Justice of the Peace m the 
year 1725. He was a deacon of the Whippany church. 

In Old England the early settlers of Whippanong — 
such of them, at least, as had come directly from the 
old country — may have become familiar with the iron 
industry; some of them, indeed may have been identi- 
fied, either as employer or employe, with this branch 
of industry; and if such were the case, they were 
therefore, very naturally attracted to this portion of 
the New Jersey province by the reports which had 
presumably reached them from previous white explor- 
ers, during their temporary sojourn at Elizabeth Town 
and Newark, of the presence of vast quantities of iron 
ore embedded in the hills of this region. From the 
same sources they may also have learned of the abund- 
ance of forest trees, from which charcoal for smelting 
purposes could be advantageously made. The excel- 
lent water privileges afforded by the Whippanong 
River, and its confluents, were doubtless among the in- 
ducements, if, indeed, they were not the chief induce- 
ment to these early pioneers to settle in the particular 
locality chosen by them. 

To those who came into this region after the iron 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

industry had been established, and the forests had been 
partially cleared for the manufacture of charcoal, the 
fertile soil, the genial climate, and the abundance of 
fish in the streams, and game in the surrounding coun- 
try, were attractions of scarcely secondary importance. 
All kinds of game, as we are told, were abundant at 
that early period — geese, wild ducks and pigeons being 
particularly abundant along the streams where now a 
fin or a feather can scarcely be found. 

"Passing the extensive Troy meadows, then no 
doubt a dense swamp covered with a growth of orig- 
inal forest timber, they (these early pioneers who had 
entered the region by way of Caldwell and Living- 
stone) were attracted by the high land of Hanover and 
Whippany" — such is the statement of a local historian 
(Hon. Edmund D. Halsey, deceased); from which an- 
other inducement to the settlers of the region adjacent 
to what is now Morristown may be easily inferred — 
the high lands of Hanover and Whippany. 

It was not long after the arrival of the sturdy Eng- 
lish pioneers in Whippanong, that some of the more 
enterprising of them erected there an iron forge, and 
in due course of time began the smelting of iron ore, 
and its manufacture into bars of iron for the market. 
Some of the company, however, as it is safe to infer, 
devoted themselves to the cultivation of the soil, 
which, owing to its rare fertility responded generously 
to their efforts. It is almost certain that, as in other 
portions of the American colonies, from the Indians 
then inhabiting this region the English settlers of 

ii 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Whippanong learned the art of cultivating "maize," or 
"Indian corn," as it is known to the present day, and 
this "maize" was doubtless for some time their chief 
article of diet. In this connection it may be said that 
the "maize" which our fathers found so almost indis- 
pensable as an article of diet, was discovered by some 
Indian tribe in Central America, where it grew as a 
wild grass, and by the Indians it was brought to this 
portion of the continent and developed into form suit- 
able for food. It is a circumstance worthy of mention, 
that at first the Indians of Whippanong furnished the 
early English settlers with game, skins and furs. 

The first iron forge erected in Whippanong, which, 
it may be casually remarked, was at first a 
part of Burlington, and subsequently of Hun- 
terdon County, and which included an extent of 
territory larger than the present township of Hanover; 
and, indeed, the first forge erected within the bounds 
of what is now Morris County, was, it is supposed, 
built by John Ford and Judge John Budd, and stood 
on the bank of the Whippanong River, just to the 
right of the upper end of the present bridge near the 
Presbyterian church, as one comes from Whippany 
toward Morristown. 

In confirmation of the above statement concerning 
the location of the first iron forge in Whippanong, the 
words of a former resident of Whippany, who died 
about the year 1845, are here quoted: "I was born in 
1778. I have seen old timbers said to have been a part 
of the old forge at Whippany. It stood at the west end 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

of the cotton mill dam, between the river and the road. 
A saw mill and a grist mill were built upon the same 
ground after the forge went down." In this primitive 
forge, for many years known as the "Old Iron 
Works," which, tradition says, was a small and rudely 
constructed building, the pure iron was separated from 
the ore by the process known as "smelting." 

That the iron industry in Whippanong was remun- 
erative is evident from the fact that other forges were 
soon erected at several points along the course of the 
Whippanong River and its confluents, by the pioneers 
of this region; so that the entire region was for several 
years after its permanent settlement known as "Old 
Forges." The last of the iron forges to be operated in 
the vicinity of Whippany was at Troy, about two miles 
to the northward of the primitive settlement. Only a 
few years before the commencement of the Civil War 
the last bar of iron was manufactured at the Troy 
forge ; and within a few years past the remains of the 
immense timbers of which it was constructed were to 
be seen lying prone upon its site. Some of the imple- 
ments, also, used in the manufacture of the iron bars, 
rusty with age and neglect, were to be seen, reminding 
the observer of one of the most interesting periods of 
Morris County history. 

The iron ore used in the early forges mentioned was 
for several years, after the settlement of Whippanong, 
procured without cost to the pioneer manufacturers, 
and was at first found on the surface of the earth, or, 
as a writer of local history tersely says, "Was to be had 

13 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

by simply picking it up." From another writer of 
county history, it is learned that : "At that time the ore 
protruded itself out of the ground, and even as late as 
the Revolutionary war a wagon could be driven up to 
ore beds and loaded without any preliminary hoisting. 
The appearance of the veins is very singular. It looks 
as if some powerful force from beneath had split the 
solid rock, leaving a chasm of from 6 to 25 feet, and 
that the ore in a fused state had been forced into it as 
into a mould." 

From what is now the Dickerson mine, at Succasun- 
na, about twenty miles to the westward of Whippa- 
nong, the ore was brought in leather bags thrown over 
the back of a horse; and after its manufacture into 
iron bars it was bent to fit the back of a horse, and in 
the same way transported to Newark and Elizabeth- 
town, and thence by small sailing vessels and row- 
boats to New York. The journey from Whippanong 
to New York occupied about two and a half days. On 
the return trip various commodities used by the set- 
tlers were brought on horseback. The writer is relia- 
bly informed that several of the leather bags, used for 
the transportation of iron ore in the early part of the 
eighteenth century, are now (1905) in the possession of 
cne of the iron manufacturing concerns in Dover, 
New Jersey. 

Concerning the significance of the word Succasun- 
na, just mentioned, Dr. Theodore F. Wolfe, of Rox- 
bury Township, who has given much thought 
to the matter, says : 

14 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"The name was spelled Suckasunny (1808), Zukkazinny 
(1740), Zukkazunning (1710), Suckasunning (1715)- It is de- 
rived from the Minsi-L. Suken, black, Ahsin, stone and ing, 
a locative suffix, and means 'the place of black stone.' It 
was primarily applied to the locality of the outcropping mag- 
netic ore at Ferro Monte. Another tribe of the Lenape 
would have called the hill Sug-ah-sun-ing, and a third would 
have called it Suck-assuning." 

It is a fact of no small interest that the iron ore 
utilized by the white settlers of what is now Morris 
County, had long been known to the native Indians, 
and had been worked by therm in their rude way into 
implements of industry and war, many of which in re- 
cent years have been found in different portions of 
northern New Jersey. 

The Indians who, prior to its settlement by the 
Dutch and English, occupied the region now consti- 
tuting Morris County, were of the Delaware tribe, or, 
as they termed themselves, the Lenni Lenape, a term 
signifying "original people;" a title adopted by this 
tribe because of their claim that they were descendants 
of the most ancient of all Indian ancestors, a race of 
men which had existed unchanged from the beginning 
of time. In support of this claim, it may be said, that 
many associate Indian tribes accorded to the Lenni 
Lenape the title of "grandfathers," meaning thereby a 
people whose ancestors antedated theirs. The claim 
of the Lenni Lenape to being the "original people" 
seems to have been a just one, by reason of the fact 
that their language appears to have been more widely 

15 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

diffused than that of any of the other numerous Indian 
tribes of the Western Continent. 

The Leni Lenape dwelt for the most part in villages, 
the wigwam sites being frequently changed, and new 
hunting and fishing grounds were thus sought as their 
necessities required. Among this tribe, of whom it is 
said there were at no period to exceed 2,000 in the en- 
tire State, there were no community houses, as among 
the Oneida Indians of central New York, but each 
family occupied a separate wigwam. The Indians of 
New Jersey are said by several writers to have been 
ruled by twenty kings or chiefs, some of the tribes 
having less than fifty subjects. A blanket or animal 
skin thrown over the broad shoulders, deerskin rudely 
fastened about the muscular legs, the feet covered with 
moccasins of the same material dressed in such man- 
ner as to be soft and pliable, and ornamented with 
quills and wampum beads — such was the dress of the 
Lenni Lenape Indians. 

From the first, the Indians of what is now Morris 
County were hospitable and friendly in their inter- 
course with the early settlers, and these traits did not 
forsake them even after long association with their 
pale-faced neighbors. Among the Indians of the re- 
gion under consideration there existed a code of hon- 
or — engraven on their hearts, as they claimed, by the 
Great Spirit — which would have put to shame some of 
their white neighbors, those in particular who at- 
tempted to corrupt and demoralize the aborigines by 
the introduction of "fire water," which attempt met 

16 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

with manly resistance on the part of the kings or chiefs 
of the various tribes. Notwithstanding this resistance 
to the introduction of the customs of civilization (?), 
the use of "fire water" among the Indians prevailed at 
length to such an extent that among the aborigines 
it was said: "Two of us die to every Christian that 
comes here." Because of the honorable dealings of the 
whites of this region with the Indians, in the matter 
of purchases of land and other business transactions, 
they dwelt together in uninterrupted peace; indeed, as 
already mentioned, during the first years of the settle- 
ment of this portion of the New Jersey Province, the 
friendly aborigines supplied the whites with game, 
skins and furs, thus materially lightening the rigors of 
a new settlement in a strange country and among an 
alien race. 

The origin of the Indians of New Jersey, as under- 
stood by them, is deeply interesting from several 
points of view, but particularly as being remarkably 
suggestive of what is now known as the evolutionary 
theory of creation, which has come to be accepted by 
many scientists, and by not a few theologians, as well. 
Indeed, as will be seen, the Indian conception of their 
origin seems to have anticipated by many years the 
modern evolutionary theory of creation; for it was 
their belief that, previous to their incarnation in hu- 
man bodies, they were in the form of beasts, and lived 
in caves under the surface of the earth. One of them 
accidentally discovered a hole leading out to the sun- 
shine, and then they all followed him out and found it 

17 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

so pleasant that they began life anew. They gradually 
developed into the form of human beings, learned to 
hunt and fish, and in due course of time began, in a 
rude way, to cultivate the soil. The names "Sitting 
Bull," "Big Bear" and many others of a similar char- 
acter since applied to Indians seem, by their sugges- 
tion of a beastly nature, to confirm the theory of cre- 
ation entertained by the aborigines of New Jersey. 

It is a matter of no ordinary interest that on the thir- 
teenth day of August, in the year 1708, two years be- 
fore the permanent settlement of Whippanong by the 
English, a tract of land consisting of several thousand 
acres, of which what is now Morristown was about the 
centre, was deeded by the Indians to the whites for 
what would, in these days at least, be considered an 
insignificant compensation. Said compensation was: 

"Thirty pounds in cash, ten strandwater blankets, fifteen 
kettles, twenty axes, twenty hoes, ten duffills blankets, half a 
barrel of wine, three files, one gun-boer, one auger, four pis- 
taJls, four cutlasses, ten gunnes, one hundred barres of lead, 
half a barrell of powder, ten white blankets, twenty shirts, 
and one hundred knives." 

This deed, executed on vellum and well pre- 
served, is now in the possession of the New Jer- 
sey Historical Society at Newark, and is a partic- 
ularly valuable document. Through the courtesy of 
the above named society the writer of this history was 
permitted to carefully examine this deed and to make 
tracings from the same. The signatures of the In- 

18 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

dians, with their respective and varied marks, and the 
actual signatures of the whites on the original deed, are 
by no means the least interesting feature of this valu- 
able document. Fac similes of these, and also of the 
beginning of the two first lines of the deed (enough 
to show the quaint, and for the times, really elegant, 
handwriting of the executor of the document), will be 
found in this volume, and will prove to be of deep in- 
terest to readers. 

Not to dwell longer upon a subject, which, however 
interesting in itself, is not strictly appropriate to a his- 
tory of Morristown, it may be proper to add that the 
Lenni Lenape were eventually settled on the Indian 
reservation in Burlington County, where they came to 
be known as the "Edge Pillocks." 

The invitation to the remnants of the Lenni Lenape 
from the Mohicans of New York State, in the year 
1801, to join them, is deeply significant as a striking 
illustration of aboriginal simplicity and hospitality: 

"Pack up your mats and come and eat out of our dish, 
which is large enough for all, and our necks are stretched 
in looking toward the fireside of our grandfathers till they 
are as long as cranes." 

One brave and his faithful squaw of the Lenni 
Lenape tribe, remained in New Jersey after the rem- 
nants of the tribe had left the State, and twenty years 
afterward both died. The daughter of this lingering 
Indian couple, known as "Indian Ann," lived until the 
year 1894, and was therefore the last of the tribe in 

19 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

New Jersey, which, in the early part of the eighteenth 
century welcomed with characteristic hospitality and 
friendliness the pioneers of what is now Morris County. 

It is Hawthorne who writes of "the exquisite delight 
of picking up for one's self an arrow-head that was 
dropped centuries ago and has never been handled 
since, and which we thus receive directly from the 
hands of the red hunter. Such an incident builds up 
again the Indian village and its encircling forest, and 
recalls the painted chief, the squaws and the children 
sporting among the wigwams, while the little wind- 
rocked papoose swings from the branch of a tree." 

Many arrow-heads, axe-heads and other Indian rel- 
ics have been found in Morris County since the red 
men disappeared, and these are scarcely preserved by 
their present owners. Traces of an old Indian village 
are still (1905) discernible between Malapardis and 
Littleton, a few miles to the westward of Morristown. 
On the occasion of the delivery by the pastor of the 
Presbyterian Church of Whippany, in the year 1894, of 
an historical sermon, there were placed on exhibit in 
front of the pulpit desk an assortment of Indian relics 
found in the near vicinity of the village, which, in a 
most impressive manner, recalled the presence of the 
aborigines of this region, which now teems with the 
evidences of an advanced civilization. 

"A moment and the pageant's gone; 
The red men are no more; 
The pale-faced strangers stand alone 
Upon the river's shore." 
20 




CHAPTER II. 

"The deeds of our fathers, in times that are gone; 
Their virtues, their prowess, the fields they have won; 
Their struggles for freedom, the toils they endured, 
The rights and the blessings for us they procured." 



MORE suitable introduction to the 
chapter of this history relating to 
the settlement, by the whites of what 
is now Morristown, New Jersey, 
could not be written, than the fol- 
lowing extract from the "Annals 
of Morris County," by the Rev. Jo- 






seph F. Tuttle, D. D., LL.D., "the father" of Morris 
County history : 



"Every community," he says, "has a history which, if prop- 
erly related, must be interesting and even important at least 
to those who belong to it. Here the fathers of such a com- 
munity fought the battle of life, wrestled with the problems 
of moral responsibility, loved the living, pitied the sorrowful, 
helped the weak, wept over the dying; here they laid the 
foundation of the social fabric as best they could, often in a 

21 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

very blind but honest method, lived life as we now live it, 
and they died leaving their graves to us as silent monitors 
not to permit them to sink into forgetfulness. Although not 
as great as many who have lived, they are our forefathers, 
and the work they did for us merits a grateful record at our 
hands." 

The fact that Dr. Tuttle's ancestors were among the 
early settlers of what is now Morris County, and ac- 
tively assisted in its material development, and in the 
shaping of its splendid history, gives special force to 
these words. 

Following the course of the winding Whippanong 
River, or perhaps guided by the solitary crooked In- 
dian path (Indian paths were invariably crooked) lead- 
ing to the westward, some of the enterprising English 
settlers at Whippanong found their way to what is now 
Morristown, where they made a settlement. It is al- 
most certain that this settlement, by the progressive 
pioneers of Whippanong, was made soon after their 
arrival at the last named place from the eastside of the 
Great Wachung Mountain — perhaps during the same 
year; or it may have been during the year next follow- 
ing the permanent settlement of Whippanong. It is a 
matter of sincere regret to students of local history, 
that extant historical records as well as tradition, are 
as silent as the Roman catacombs on the Appian Way, 
as to the exact date of the beginnings of what is now 
considered, by not a few world-wide travelers, the 
most beautiful city in the world — a city, also, about 
which there cluster historic associations almost unpar- 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

alleled in interest in the annals of our great country. 
Nor is there any reliable history, or even trustworthy 
tradition, from which such data may be safely inferred; 
hence the student of local history is reluctantly com- 
pelled to accept some such vague statement as that of 
a former pastor of the historic First Presbyterian 
Church of Morristown (Rev. Rufus S. Green, D. D.), 
who says : "We cannot be far out of the way in placing 
the date of the first settlement of Morristown back 
nearly or quite to 1710;" or to accept the somewhat 
less vague conclusion of another student of local his- 
tory, that ''Morristown was first settled by the whites 
about the year 1710." If, however, "history makes us 
some amends for the shortness of life," then Morris- 
town's "ample page which is rich with the spoils of 
time," most certainly makes us generous amends for 
the silvery haze which surrounds the commencement of 
her rare civic career. 

The facilities for the prosecution of the iron indus- 
try offered by the Whippanong River, in the newly set- 
tled region, and perhaps the somewhat closer proximity 
of the iron ore at Succasunna, and the improvement 
in other respects of their material welfare, were appar- 
ently among the inducements to the founders of what 
is now Morristown to remove from the settlement at 
Whippanong, and make for themselves a new home in 
the inviting region chosen. 

It will be far from uninteresting to the readers of 
this history to learn, that the particular locality to be 
first settled by the immigrants from Whippanong, was 

23 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

that in the near vicinity of the corner of the present 
Water and Spring streets, at the foot of Town Hill. 
This locality seems to have been chosen partly because 
of its proximity to the Whippanong River, flowing 
but a few rods to the eastward, which was to be utilized 
for the carrying on of the iron industry; and partly 
because of the ample protection from the winter winds 
afforded by the bold hills to the northward and west- 
ward of the spot selected. Inasmuch as what is now 
Morris street, as also the present Spring street, were 
at the early period now under consideration, the Indian 
path leading from Whippanong eastward toward Rox- 
iticus, which is now Mendham, it is probable that the 
particular locality chosen by the Whippanong immi- 
grants was selected also with a view to keeping as near 
as practicable to the only apology for a road then 
known in the vicinity. 

The first iron forge to be erected by the early set- 
tlers of what is now Morristown, probably stood near, 
and perhaps upon, the identical site of a portion at least 
of what is now known as "Flagler's mill," and by some 
as "Durling's mill," which is situated a little to the 
north of the present Water street, and at the lower end 
of what was once known as 'Tochontas Lake." This 
body of water was for many years, and until the com- 
plete destruction of the dam by a great freshet about ten 
years since, the peculiar pride of the young for swim- 
ming, boating and skating, not to mention the pleas- 
ure it afforded those of piscatorial tastes, who occasion- 



24 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

ally landed from its quiet waters a handsome black bass 
of no ordinary weight. 

Near the primitive iron forge may have stood the 
gristmill and sawmill, both of which, as a means of sup- 
plying the imperative needs of the infant settlement, 
were doubtless built a little prior to the erection of the 
iron forge. Several other iron forges were subse- 
quently erected at different points on the Whippanong 
River, the remains of one of which, if local tradition 
is to be relied upon, are still (1905) to be seen on the 
northern bank of the stream nearly opposite the site of 
the present new roundhouse of the Lackawanna Rail- 
road Company. It is said that about the year 1777 
there were in Morris County nearly 100 iron forges in 
operation, and that Washington, during his first so- 
journ in Morristown, expressed his disapproval of the 
employment of the large number of able-bodied men 
which the operation of these forges required, while the 
depleted ranks of the American army were left unre- 
plenished. All the iron forges on the Whippanong 
River within the bounds of Morristown were, how- 
ever, so far as their operation is concerned, extinct as 
early as about the year 1823. 

The houses, or huts, as they might more properly 
be called, first erected by the immigrants from Whip- 
panong, it is almost superfluous to remark, were rude 
structures, being constructed for the most part of logs, 
but they afforded satisfactory shelter from the ele- 
ments, and protection at night from the wild beasts 



25 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

which then roamed at will through the newly-settled 
region. 

We have seen that the early settlers of what is now 
Morristown, first erected their rude log houses near the 
intersection of the present Water and Spring streets. 
It was not long, however, before a few log houses were 
erected in clearings along what is now Morris street. 
A few years later — it may have been during the year 
1718 or 1720 — the energetic settlers found their way up 
the hill (Town Hill, known for many years as "the 
gully," because of its condition as the result of fre- 
quent washings out by the rains) to the locality now 
occupied by the Green, and the churches and business 
blocks surrounding it. In those early days this section of 
Morristown was part of a dense forest composed of 
giant oaks, chestnuts and other native species ; but 
in clearings made by the sturdy woodman's axe, the en- 
terprising settlers erected their houses on the plateau 
which is nearly 400 feet above the ocean level. It is 
highly probable that among the considerations which 
moved the settlers to this change of habitation to the 
above-mentioned plateau, was the improved state of the 
atmosphere, as compared with the dampness and mi- 
asma of the low lands adjacent to the Whippanong 
River, where the original settlement had been made. 

The red men of the Whippanong tribe, be it remem- 
bered, still lingered amid the scenes and associations of 
their revered fathers. They doubtless viewed with 
amazement the rapid strides of their pale-faced neigh- 
bors, away from simplicity and barrenness, toward the 

26 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

higher civilization to which their racial instincts im- 
pelled them. From the pretty Whippanong stream these 
peaceable aborigines procured, with bow and arrow, 
and with rude spear, the fish with which its waters then 
abounded ; and over the wooded hills and through the 
beautiful vales, now dotted with the signs of twentieth 
century civilization, they hunted wild game which then 
constituted the basis of their daily diet. Under the 
same somber moon that now, in his season, sheds his 
pale light upon the earth, swarthy lovers plighted their 
troth each to the other ; since love is love, whatever be 
the shade of complexion, or whatever be the place or 
period. After having lived in harmony with the whites 
for half a century, the Indians of Morris County emi- 
grated, a decimated band, to the West, about the year 
1740. having been compensated by the State for the 
territory relinquished. 

It has seemed meet, while the early history of what 
is now Morristown was passing in review before us, 
to drop a tear to the memory of our red-faced brothers 
who once inhabited the region, but who have melted 
away before the rising sun of civilization. 

Wild beasts, including the bear, the panther, the 
wolf and the wildcat, roamed in the neighborhood un- 
molested, save as they now and then encroached upon 
the humble habitations of the white settlers. The pres- 
ence of these marauding enemies of civilization neces- 
sitated the careful herding in pens of the sheep and 
other stock by night, while by day, they were protected 
by the vigilance of their owners, whose unerring aim 

21 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

laid not a few of the stealthy prowlers low. At length 
the few surviving beasts slunk away from the human 
habitations which, year by year, were increasing in 
number, and the period of local history when "wolves 
in great numbers answered each other from the neigh- 
boring hills," soon became only an interesting mem- 
ory. 

The quaint deed by which the land now embraced 
in Morristown's centre (the entire tract contain- 
ing 2,000 acres), was, in the year 17 15, conveyed to one 
John Keys, or Kay, is of too much interest to be omit- 
ted ; hence a verbatim copy is here presented : 

"By virtue of a warrant from ye Council of Proprietors, 
bearing date ye tenth day of March last past, I have surveyed 
this Tract or Lott of land unto John Kay within ye Western 
Division of ye Province of New Jersey, in ye Last indian 
purchases made of ye Indians by ye said Proprietors; Situate 
upon & near a Branch of Passamisk River, Called whipene, 
beginning at a small hickory corner, standing near a Black 
oak marked K, ten cha. distance from a corner of Wm. Pens 
Lands; thence Northwest one hundred sixty & five cha; 
crossing ye said Whipene to a corner white oak marked also 
K; thence South west one hundred twenty and seven cha. & 
twenty-five link to a poast for a corner under ye side of a 
hill called mine mountain; from thence South east one hun- 
dred sixty & five cha. to a poast; then North East one hun- 
dred twenty-seven cha. & twenty five links, & by ye bound of 
Govn. Pens land to ye place of beginning. Containing Two 
thousand acres of land besides one hundred acres allowance 
for Highways, surveyed April ye 28th, 1715 pr me R. Bull 
Survy. 

"Ye 22 of August 1715 Inspected and approved of by ye 
Council of Props, and ordered to be Entered upon Record. 

"Tests, JOHN WILLS, Clerk." 

28 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

In the same year ( 1715) , 1,250 acres of land embrac- 
ing what is now Morristown, and Morris Township, 
were surveyed, and deeded by the same Council of 
Proprietors to Joseph Helby and Thomas Stevenson. 
Helby's land lay to the east and north, and Stevenson's 
to the south and west of the present Morristown Green. 
Neither Kay, Helby nor Stevenson, however, settled in 
West Hanover, as Morristown was then called, and the 
large tracts of land owned by these early speculators 
were soon sold in farms and building lots, to those who 
had established themselves in the village and vicinity 
which, all unknown to them at the time, was destined 
to become famous in the annals of America. 

From the fact of the transfer by the Council of Pro- 
prietors to Helby, Kay and Stevenson, in the year 
17 1 5, of the land embracing that on which the immi- 
grants from Whippanong first settled at the foot of 
"Town Hill," it is a safe inference that these immi- 
grants had either purchased their homesites and mill- 
sites and garden-plots from the friendly Indians 
(which seems improbable), or that they were "squat- 
ters," as were the first white explorers of Whippanong 
during their temporary sojourn in the region near the 
close of the seventeenth century. It is an equally safe 
inference that the industry of the founders of Morris- 
town — the industry which "sweetenth our enjoyment, 
and seasoneth our attainments with a delightful relish" 
— was soon rewarded with the means with which the 
more frugal of them were able to purchase such lands 
as were deemed necessary. Thus the 4,500 acres and 

29 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

more of land owned by three men in the year 171 5 
were, a few years subsequently, in the possession of 
numerous residents who were "here to stay," and in 
whose honored descendants they are still with us as 
interesting links with the eventful past. 

It should be said at this point that the handful of 
immigrants from Whippanong who had settled West 
Hanover, was supplemented by frequent arrivals of 
English direct from Newark, Elizabethtown and New 
England, which is apparent from the fact of the newly 
added names which soon afterward appeared on the 
rolls of the village church. 

Concerning the first frame house built in West Han- 
over, the following note, taken from a manuscript of 
the late Rev. Dr. Joseph F. Tuttle, is of more than 
ordinary interest: "Rev. Baker Johnson some years 
ago conversed with a Mr. Shipman (father of Lawyer 
Shipman, of Belvidere), whose father aided in build- 
ing the first house in Morristown, somewhere on the 
stream. It was in 1727, as Mr. Johnson thinks, Mr. 
Shipman stated." 

The character of the early white settlers of Whip- 
panong, and hence of West Hanover, may be inferred 
from the fact that almost simultaneously with their 
entrance into the region contiguous to what is now 
Morristown, they inaugurated religious services. At 
first they gathered for divine worship in their humble 
homes, and it may be in the rude barns of the period, 
the services then being conducted for the most part by 
some of their own number selected for their superior 

30 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

gifts and graces. It is highly probable that the vil- 
lage schoolmaster, whose coining into the new settle- 
ment was not long delayed after the first log hut was 
raised, and who was easily, before the arrival of the 
minister, the most highly respected of the settlers, was 
among the number selected to lead the worship of men 
and women who, even at that early period, cultivated 
"the presence of God." To the Whippanong school- 
master we shall have occasion to refer by name at a 
subsequent stage of this history. It may be that, as was 
the case in other early settlements in the province of 
New Jersey, the Whippanong people assembled, when 
the state of the weather permitted, in the open air for 
divine worship, with only the blue canopy of the skies 
for a roof. Occasionally, as seemingly reliable tra- 
dition informs us, a minister from the older settlement 
at Newark was present to conduct the services for the 
Whippanong worshipers. It is not improbable that 
Rev. John Prudden, pastor of the Newark church from 
the year 1692 to the year 1699, and who may have been 
a resident of Newark after his dismissal from this 
pastorate officiated now and then for the congregation 
gathered in Whippanong before a pastor was called 
bv them. Such, indeed, is the opinion of those who 
have digged deeply into Morris County history. Of 
Rev. Mr. Prudden's Newark pastorate, which con- 
tinued uut seven years, it is recorded that it was "not a 
smooth one," and if he occasionally officiated for the 
Whippanong worshipers his visits to that quiet hamlet 
were doubtless an agreeable relief from the memory of 
his troublesome pastorate in Newark. 

31 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

The religious services inaugurated by the pioneers 
of Whippanong, led to the organization, probably in the 
latter part of the year 1717 or in the early part of the 
year following, or even earlier, it may have been, of a 
church at Whippanong, the first of any kind to be 
organized in what is now Morris County. It was, in a 
sense, the mother of the numerous churches of the dif- 
ferent sects whose edifices, many of them costly and 
imposing, now lift their spires heavenward from the 
hills and valleys of this region. It is said, however, that 
soon after the settlement of Whippanong an unsuccess- 
ful attempt was made to establish an Episcopal chuch. 
As early, indeed, so it is said, as the year 1710, an 
Episcopal missionary from Newark held occasional ser- 
vices in or near Whippanong; "but they were soon 
discontinued." 

In the early autumn or winter of the year 17 18, a 
house of worship was erected in Whippanong, on land 
given by the village schoolmaster, John Richards, 
which land is now the burial ground for the village of 
Whippany. It is situated on the right hand of the road 
leading through the village from Morristown, as one 
goes toward Hanover. The original deed conveying 
the land on which the mother church edifice was erected 
is still (1905) in existence, and in excellent condition. 
The substance of this quaint document is as follows : 

"I, John Richards, of Whipponong, in the county of Hun- 
terdon, schoolmaster, for and in consideration of the love 
and affection that I have for my Christian friends and neigh- 
bors in Whipponong, and for a desire to promote and ad- 

32 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

vance the public interest, and especially for the public wor- 
ship of God, give three and one-half acres of land, situate 
and being in the township of Whipponong, on that part 
called Parcipponong, on the northwestern side of Whippo- 
nong River; only for public use, improvement and benefit, 
for a meeting-house, schoolhouse, burying yard and training 
field, and such like, and no other." 

This deed was dated September 2, 17 18, and the wit- 
nesses thereto were Jedidiah Buckingham and John 
Cooper. 

Dying in the month of December, in the year 17 18, 
at the age of sixty-three years, the remains of Mr. 
Richards were the first to be deposited in the tract of 
land so generously given by him for a "burying yard," 
while living. His headstone, composed of red sand- 
stone, is still to be seen in the older portion of the 
Whippany burial-ground, and the sight of this ancient 
landmark kept free from moss by some friendly hand, 
so that the inscription is always discernible, arouses 
one's slumbering reverence for the past. 

The history of the Richards deed deserves at least a 
passing notice. The document, as might be supposed, 
originally belonged to the mother church at Whippa- 
nong; but while other records and papers belonging 
to the parish were removed to Hanover, when, in the 
year 1755, the new house of worship was erected there, 
this deed, for some reason now unknown to the writer, 
was retained at Whippanong. Among the papers of 
Calvin Howell Esq., of Whippany, found after his 
decease, was the Richards deed. It was discovered in 

33 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

a sort of secret drawer in an old desk. For many years 
it was in the possession of William H. Howell Esq., a 
son of Calvin Howell, the former of whom was sheriff 
of Morris County about twenty years ago. Upon the 
decease of William H. Howell, the deed came into the 
possession of his family. The writer had the privilege 
a few years ago of carefully examining this rare docu- 
ment. It has since been presented to the Washing- 
ton Headquarters, in Morristown, New Jersey, where 
it may now be seen by the visitor. 




34 




CHAPTER III 

"Dissensions, like the small streams are first begun, 
Scarce seen they rise, but gather as they run; 
So lines that from their parallel decline, 
More they proceed the more they still disjoin." 



HE house of worship erected in Whip- 
panong in the year ly 18, traces of 
the foundation of which were dis- 
cernible as late as the nineteenth 
century (as the writer has been in- 
formed by an aged resident, now 
deceased), was a small square struc- 



grgrj 


§252J5 


f(8& 


fife 


T 


Bj 


n 


S& J6£7»D. 



ture, covered on all four sides and on the roof with 
shingles, and was without cupola or spire. By at least 
one local historian this primitive church is said to have 
had galleries which were reached by an outside flight 
of stairs. The building stood to the left of, and some- 
what back from, the present front entrance to the 
Whippany burial ground. To this church, at first of 
the Congregational order, apparently, and later of the 
Presbyterian, the people of what are now Morristown, 
Madison, Chatham, Parsippany and other surrounding 

35 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

hamlets, went each Sunday, through the almost un- 
broken wilderness, for nearly a score of years for divine 
worship. 

Of the Whippanong church the first pastor was the 
Rev. Nathaniel Hubbell, a native of New England, and 
a graduate of Yale College. He may have been set- 
tled as pastor of the church in the month of December, 
1718, almost immediately following the decease of 
"John Richards, schoolmaster." After a pastorate, as 
near as can now be ascertained, of about twleve years, 
Mr. Hubbell was succeeded about the year 1730, by 
the Rev. John Nutman, also a graduate, in 1727, of 
Yale College. He was the son of James Nutman Esq., 
of Edinburgh, Scotland, by his second wife, Sarah, 
daughter of the Rev. John Prudden, of Newark, and 
hence was a grandson of the last named gentleman. 

He may, therefore, have been introduced to the peo- 
ple of Whippanong by his grandfather, who had prob- 
ably, as we have seen, officiated occasionally in the 
church. Mr. Nutman is said to have been a man of 
excellent scholarship for his day. Soon after the 
installation of Mr. Nutman as pastor of the church at 
Whippanong — it may have been during the year 1731 
or the year 1732 — there began a discussion among the 
congregation over the matter of the erection of a new 
house of worship. The structure in which they wor- 
shiped was, if tradition may be regarded as trustworthy, 
considered by a portion at least of the worshipers as 
"old and dilapidated." This is a claim, however, which 
seems to have had little or no basis in reason, when it is 

36 






THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

remembered that the structure had at the time been 
used only about fourteen years, and was occupied as a 
house of worship for about twenty-three years sub- 
sequently. It is a claim that appears to have been, as 
all the circumstances of the case are recalled and im- 
partially considered, a mere pretext on the part of cer- 
tain elements in the congregation for the removal of the 
church organization to a part of the extensive parish 
which would more completely gratify their desires in 
the matter. There is little doubt that the church edi- 
fice in Whippanong was getting too small to accommo- 
date the growing congregation ; but the natural remedy 
for that was the enlargement of the primitive build- 
ing. The failure of the project to abandon the old 
house of worship at Whippanong resulted in a deter- 
mination on the part of that portion of the congregation 
residing at West Hanover, to withdraw from the 
mother church and organize a separate church at that 
point. The reasons urged by the people of West Han- 
over in favor of a separate church organization were, 
the inconvenience of attending divine services at 
Whippanong, owing to the long distance and imper- 
fect facilities for travel, and the material increase of 
population at West Hanover, which rendered the sup- 
port of a pastor practicable. To the proposal to or- 
ganize a separate church at West Hanover the majority 
of the Whippanong congregation was stoutly opposed. 
The West Hanover people were determined, how- 
ever, upon a separation, and as a means of adjusting 
the growing difficulty it was at length resolved by the 

37 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

several parties in the congregation at Whippanong, to 
submit the decision of the matter to the casting of lots, 
each party agreeing to abide by the result. 

After much prayer the lots, with great solemnity, 
were cast. The result of the lot-casting was, that the 
mother church was to remain undivided ; and if a new 
house of worship was erected, it should be upon the 
old site, in the burial lot given by "J onn Richards, 
schoolmaster." Contrary to agreement, however, the 
West Hanover people refused to accept this result, and 
the greater portion at least of the dissatisfied ones 
ceased attending the services at Whippanong. 

Two versions of this episode have been given. One 
is, that the portion of the congregation living at West 
Hanover did not agree to abide by the result of the 
lot, and that they objected at the beginning to the 
employment of that means for the adjustment of the 
difficulty confronting the parish. The other is that there 
was a general agreement to abide by the result of the 
vote. The reader is left to decide for himself, from 
facts to be presented later, which is the correct ver- 
sion. 

It is probable that religious services were soon after- 
ward inaugurated at West Hanover, in private houses. 
Some of the West Hanover people who had worshiped 
at Whippanong may have begun almost immediately 
to attend the services at Basking Ridge, which seem 
to have been inaugurated about the year 1720, two or 
three years later than the organization of the church 
at Whippanong. 

38 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

The alienation of the West Hanover people from the 
mother church, as might have been anticipated, 
seriously crippled the latter organization, render- 
ing it difficult for those who remained to suitably 
provide for the support of their clergyman, Mr. Nut- 
man. At the annual meeting of the synod of Philadel- 
phia, within whose ecclesiastical jurisdiction the Whip- 
panong church then belonged, held in the year 1733, 
Mr. Nutman sought relief from pecuniary embarrass- 
ment, which seemed to threaten the speedy dissolution 
of his pastoral relation with the mother church, over 
which he had but recently been installed. He pleaded 
for the exercise of the influence of the synod for a 
reunion of his divided parish. At this session of the 
synod, that body expressed in strong terms its disap- 
proval of resorting to the casting of the lot for the 
settlement of church difficulties, which were susceptible 
of adjustment by appeal to the constituted judicatories 
of the ecclesiastical body with which they were iden- 
tified. 

The synod evidently did not approve of the organi- 
zation of another church at West Hanover, for the 
people of that part of the parish were advised to join 
themselves, temporarily at least, with the congrega- 
tions at Basking Ridge and Whippanong. This ar- 
rangement was to continue, however, only until the 
churches at East Hanover (Whippanong) and Basking 
Ridge should reach a condition of self-support, and 
until the growth of population at West Hanover should 
justify the establishment of a self-sustaining church, 

39 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

in that section of the parish. If it should, after 
proper effort, be ascertained that a reunion of the 
people of West Hanover with the mother church was 
impracticable, then the people of the former place were 
to be left at liberty to organize a new church. The fact 
that Mr. Nutman, at the same meeting of the synod as 
that above mentioned, and after the expressions of 
opinion by that body already referred to, requested dis- 
mission from his presbytery and the termination of his 
pastoral relation with the church at Whippanong, seems 
to indicate that his understanding of the temper of the 
West Hanover people led him to the conclusion that a 
reunion of the two sections of the parish was not to 
be expected. The presbytery of East Jersey, of which 
Mr. Nutman was a member, was recommended by the 
synod to exert its good offices on behalf of a reconcili- 
ation between the two portions of the dismembered 
parish, with the proviso that if such reconciliation could 
not be effeced then the presbytery was to be at liberty 
to dismiss the clergyman, upon his application. 

At the meeting of the Synod of Philadelphia, in the 
year 1734, the Whippanong and West Hanover church 
difficulty was again before that body. The use of the 
lot in the settlement of church difficulties was formally 
condemned by the synod. The opinion was also ex- 
pressed by this ecclasiastical body that "we are afraid 
that much sin has been committed by many, if not all, 
the people in the profane disregard of said lot, and 
therefore excite them to reflect upon their past practises 
in reference thereto in order to their repentance." 

40 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

This deliverance of the synod only widened the 
breach between the two sections of the Hanover parish, 
and to thoughtful observers a reconciliation seemed 
among the impossibilities. The synod met again in the 
year 1735, and at this session the West Hanover peo- 
ple made application for the ordination to the Chris- 
tian ministry of John Cleverly, a graduate of Harvard 
College, who had recently come among them. This 
application, it will be noticed, was in evident disregard 
of the recommendation of the synod at its meeting of the 
year before. The matter of the ordination of Mr. Clev- 
erly was referred to the Presbytery of Philadelphia. 
Meanwhile Mr. Cleverly remained in West Hanover 
and probably conducted the religious services held 
there. 

In the month of May, 1736, the Presbytery of Phila- 
delphia met, and at this session the people of West 
Hanover, by their representatives, urged upon that 
body the ordination of Mr. Cleverly. They were in- 
structed to appoint a day, giving due notice to the 
presbytery, that they might attend to the matter in 
proper form. For reasons which do not appear upon 
the record no day was appointed for the ordination of 
Mr. Cleverly. 

The meeting of the Presbytery of Philadelphia in the 
year 1737 was held at West Hanover, and when the 
matter of the ordination of Mr. Cleverly came before 
that body there was found to be opposition to its con- 
summation. This opposition appears to have originated 
among the people of Whippanong, or East Hanover, 

41 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

as it was also called. They were apparently determined 
to embarrass the establishment of another church at 
West Hanover, and this they could effectually do, tem- 
porarily at least, by preventing the ordination and set- 
tlement of Mr. Cleverly as pastor of the congregation 
at West Hanover. It was not, as it appears, that the 
people of East Hanover were opposed to Mr. Cleverly 
personally. They were simply opposed to the settle- 
ment of any individual as pastor of what they consid- 
ered a faction which had wrought havoc in the 
mother church. In view of the determined opposition 
to his ordination, the presbytery deemed it inexpedient 
to proceed further in the matter ; the congregation was 
excused for its failure to appoint a day for his ordina- 
tion, and Mr. Cleverly was advised to seek another 
field of labor. He chose, however, to remain in West 
Hanover, and he probably continued to conduct the 
services there, for the most part at least, until the year 
1742, when a pastor was called and duly installed. It 
is said that during his residence in West Hanover, Mr. 
Cleverly preached, occasionally at least, in the Pres- 
byterian church at Turkey, now New Providence. In- 
deed, the writer has seen the statement that before com- 
ing to West Hanover, he supplied the Presbyterian pul- 
pit at Turkey. Mr. Cleverly remained unmarried all 
his life. He died in 1776, aged eighty-one years, and 
was buried on the last day of December in the yard in 
the rear of the First Church, where his headstone may 
be seen. 

The synod had with commendable prudence and 
42 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

tact dealt with the difficulty which had so long existed 
between the people of East and West Hanover. The 
difficulty, however, still remained. Being desirous 
of bringing about a reconciliation between the estranged 
sections of the parish, a large committee was appointed 
at the meeting of the synod, held in the year 1738, and 
to it the entire matter was submitted for final consider- 
ation. On July 26 of that year this committee met at 
Hanover, almost certainly in the "old and dilapidated" 
house of worship in the burial ground at Whippanong. 
The Rev. Gilbert Tennent, of New Brunswick, one of 
the brothers famous in ecclesiastical annals for their 
religious trance experiences, was selected to preach the 
sermon, which he consented to do. He took for his text 
words found in the eleventh chapter of Ezekiel, nine- 
teenth verse : "I will give them one heart." From 
these words, in the selection of which the preacher 
was unquestionably guided by other than human wis- 
dom, Mr. Tennent, whose reputation as a profoundly 
religious man had doubtless preceded him to Whip- 
panong, delivered a sermon. The moral effect of it 
upon the hearts of his hearers may be inferred from 
the subsequent conduct of the parties involved in the 
long-standing difficulty existing between them, and 
from the prompt and happy settlement of the trouble to 
the entire satisfaction of all concerned. We notice first 
the consequent pliable disposition of the people of East 
Hanover, who expressed a desire for a reunion, if it 
could be had on reasonable terms. The West Hanover 
people were, however, indisposed toward a reunion, be- 

43 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

cause, as they declared to the committee, their numbers 
had increased since the separation from the mother 
church, about the year 1732, and they as a result were 
better able to support a pastor. Recognizing the force 
of these allegations of the West Hanover people, and 
having drawn, by questionings, from the East Hanover 
people, the admission that they, too, were in better con- 
dition to support Mr. Nutman than formerly, the com- 
mittee, on behalf of the synod, concluded that no further 
efforts for a reunion be made, but that there be two 
separate churches. To this all parties agreed, and 
harmony once more prevailed. Doubtless an appeal, 
at the outset, to the better nature of the parties con- 
cerned would have resulted in a more speedy settle- 
ment of the difficulty between them, and saved the 
cause of religion from the reproach which fell upon it. 
In the autumn of the year 1738, or early in the year 

1739, a Presbyterian church was formerly organized in 
West Hanover, or Morristown, as about that time it 
came to be known. During the year 1739 the county 
was laid out and given the name of Morris, in honor of 
Governor Lewis Morris. It then included what are now 
the counties of Warren and Sussex ; and what for 
more than a quarter of a century had been called West 
Hanover came to be known as Morris Town. The 
first official reference to West Hanover as Morris 
Town, however, is to be found in the book of records 
in the county clerk's office, under date of March 25, 

1740, when the county was divided into townships by 
the court. 

44 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

It is a fact greatly to be regretted that from the 
organization of the First Presbyterian Church of Mor- 
ristown, to the summer of the year 1742, when a pastor 
was called, there were no records kept, or if kept, are 
unavailable. As already remarked, John Cleverly, who 
was still in Morristown, continued to supply the pulpit 
of the newly organized church occasionally, and prob- 
ably continuously, until the coming of one whose name 
is still revered — Rev. Dr. Timothy Johnes, who, in the 
two or three succeeding chapters, becomes one of the 
central figures of Morristown's rare history. 

The Presbyterian church of West Hanover, or Mor- 
ristown, as it had already come to be popularly called, 
was, as previously stated, organized in the autumn of 
the year 1738, or near the opening of the year 1739. 
The present writer is of the opinion, however, that the 
organization of this church was effected almost imme- 
diately after the meeting of the large committee of the 
Synod of Philadelphia, held in the primitive house of 
worship at East Hanover (Whippanong) July 26, 
1738, at which time and place the long-standing diffi- 
culty between the two sections of the extensive Han- 
over parish was finally and satisfactorily adjusted ; and 
that by the close at least of the month of September of 
the year last mentioned the First Presbyterian Church 
of Morristown, New Jersey, had commenced its famous 
career as a regularly organized ecclesiastical body. 

As near as can now be ascertained the church was 
organized with a membership of about 100, and was 
from the beginning self-supporting. It was within 

45 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

the bounds of the Presbytery of New York, which had 
been constituted during the same year as above men- 
tioned, by the union of the presbyteries of Long Island 
and East Jersey. 

In the mind of the writer there is scarcely a doubt 
that Rev. John Cleverly, bachelor, who continued to re- 
side in West Hanover after his failure of installation, 
conducted the services of the newly-organized church 
most of the time from its inception until the settlement 
of a pastor, about four years later. It will be no re- 
flection upon the character and professional attain- 
ments of Mr. Cleverly, for the writer to express the 
opinion, that but for eccentricities, the exact nature of 
which are not now ascertainable, he may have been the 
first, of a by no means short list of installed pastors, 
who have served the First Presbyterian Church of Mor- 
ristown during the past 162 years of its remarkable 
history. 

The first house of worship in what is now Morris- 
town, was erected probably during the year 1740, or 
about two years after the organization of the church. 
It is said to have stood on the site, or nearly so, of the 
present substantial stone manse of the First Presby- 
terian Church, upon a piece of land given to the church 
by two of its well-to-do members — Benjamin Hatha- 
way and Jonathan Lindsley for a parsonage and burial- 
ground. It is understood to have faced what is now 
Morris street. 

It was a nearly square structure, and small, and is by 
some said to have been a frame building, shingled on 

46 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

its four sides, as well as on the roof. By others we are 
told that it was a "log meeting-house." The writer is 
inclined to accept the former opinion, for the reasons 
following : It is a well authenticated fact that as early 
as the year 1727 the first frame house was erected in 
West Hanover. It is highly probable that by the year 
1740 frame houses were becoming numerous in what 
had then come to be known as Morristown. And 
one can scarcely be charged with jumping to conclu- 
sions if he infers, that a house of worship erected at 
that period was a frame structure, whose sides and 
roof were shingled. It is quite probable that this house 
of worship was a sort of duplication in form, if not also 
in dimensions and general appearance, of the first house 
of worship previously erected in the older settlement of 
Newark ; since, among the projectors of this primitive 
house of worship then identified with the Morr/stown 
Presbyterian Church, there were probably not a few per- 
sons who, prior to their removal to the last named 
place, had attended the Newark Church, and hence 
were familiar with the character, capacity and cost of 
the latter structure. That, in the construction of the 
original house of worship in Morristown, the sugges- 
tions of these former members of the Newark Church 
were taken into consideration, is a most natural infer- 
ence. It is to be regretted that there is extant no relia- 
ble representation of this house of worship ; but it 
would not be far from the truth to say, that it was in 
form and dimensions a duplicate of the primitive house 
of worship in Newark, of which an apparently accu- 
rate picture is to be seen among historical collections. 

47 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Among the many commendatory patriotic services 
rendered by the Daughters of the American Revolu- 
tion, through its various chapters, was the placing, on 
November 10, 1904, of a stone tablet which is said to 
mark the site of a corner of the original house of wor- 
ship in what is now Morristown. One of the most in- 
teresting features of the occasion of the formal placing 
of this marker was the circumstance that a great-great- 
granddaughter of Rev. Timothy Johnes, Miss Little, 
performed the ceremony of unveiling the tablet. This 
stone tablet, which is about two feet in width and three 
feet in length, and elevated about four inches above 
the surface of the ground, bears the following inscrip- 
tion : "This stone marks the site of the original church 
built in 1740, used as a hospital for the Revolutionary 
soldiers in 1777. Erected by the Morristown Chapter, 
D. A. R., 1904." The picture of this memorial tablet, 
which appears in this volume, is from a photograph 
taken by Frederick F. Curtis, of Morristown, about the 
middle of November, of the year 1904. The stone work 
conspicuous in the background of the picture is a por- 
tion of the First Church edifice. 

In the year 1764 a steeple, 125 feet in height, as we 
are informed, was added to the original house of wor- 
ship, which by some is said to have been built in the 
middle of the structure ; the more probable theory, 
however, is that it was attached to one end of the mod- 
est building. By no means the least interesting fact 
concerning the erection of this steeple is this : that to 
Colonel Jacob Ford Sr. was assigned, by the trustees 

48 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

of the parish, "the care, management and oversight" of 
the work. Hitherto the people had assembled for di- 
vine worship on Sunday, for the space of nearly a quar- 
ter of a century, without the use of a bell, but after the 
completion of the new steeple, a bell was placed in its 
tower. On this bell, which has been used from the 
year it was first placed in position until the present time, 
a period of 141 years, is the impress of the British 
crown, and also the names of the makers, "Lister & 
Pack, of London fecit." Tradition informs us that 
this bell was presented to the Presbyterian Church of 
Morristown by the King of Great Britain. This bell, 
it is said, was brought from Elizabeth Town to Mor- 
ris Town, by Benjamin Freeman ; he who was subse- 
quently the proprietor of the tavern formerly kept by 
Jacob Arnold, and who, late in the seventeenth century, 
ran a stage coach to Elizabeth Town. Although since 
the time of its first hanging in the tower of Morris- 
town's historic church, this bell has been twice recast in 
consequence of its cracking, it has since been used to 
summon the congregation for worship in the handsome 
stone edifice standing upon ground made sacred by the 
associations of a truly eventful past. Owing to its great 
age and the rich historical associations which cluster 
about it, this bell has become an object of veneration 
on the part of those acquainted with its remarkable rec- 
ord. It is in some respects a most singular fact, that 
now, (1905) for the third time, this bell is cracked, and 
will again require recasting. 

The growth of the Morristown church, during the 
49 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

decade following the erection of the new steeple and 
the hanging of the imported bell, necessitated the en- 
largement of the primitive house of worship, which 
was accomplished in the year 1774. It is said that the 
original structure was separated in the centre (sawn 
asunder, it may be said), the two sections thus made, 
moved away from each other and the open space left 
between them filled in by the construction of a new 
part. The entire building when completed was about 
thirty by fifty feet. At each end of this house of wor- 
ship was an entrance for the accommodation of at- 
tendants coming from different directions to attend 
divine services. The main entrance was on what is 
now Morris street. 

The seats in this enlarged house of worship were 
enclosed, leaving a square space within, which re- 
sembled in appearance more a pen than church pews. 
These pen-like pews were made for the accommoda- 
tion of an entire family. A single flight of stairs led up 
to the dizzy heights of the "cup-like" pulpit. 

In the summer of the year 1742, commencing with 
the thirteenth of August, the pulpit of the Presbyterian 
church of Morristown — at that time the congregation, 
as will be seen, worshipped in the original structure 
erected about two years previously — was for six con- 
secutive Sundays supplied by Rev. Timothy Johnes, a 
graduate of Yale College, and a licentiate of the Con- 
gregational body in New England. From an interest- 
ing paper read by Mrs. Isaac R. Pierson, at the sesqui- 
centennial celebration of the First Baptist church of 

50 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Morristown, in the year 1902, the following extract 
is presented : 

"The Indian name for the country around was Rockciti- 
cus, as late as the arrival of Parson Johnes, in 1742. Pastor 
Johnes was one of the prominent historical characters of the 
times. Previous to his coming to Morristown he had several 
other calls, and he was perplexed as to which to accept, so 
he referred the matter to Providence — deciding to accept the 
next one made. He had not risen from his knees, when 
two old men came to his house and asked him to become 
pastor of a small congregation at Rockciticus (now Morris- 
town). He consented and after traveling a long distance, 
through the forest, he inquired of his guides: 'Where is 
Rockciticus?' The reply was. 'Here, there and everywhere.'" 

It is, perhaps, superfluous to say, that "Par- 
son Johnes" came to Morristown on horseback. 
So satisfactory were the preaching and person- 
ality of this young theologue that at the termination of 
his engagement as a temporary supply, a call was ex- 
tended to him to become the pastor of the newly or- 
ganized church. This call, after due consideration, he 
accepted, and in the spring of the year 1743 he removed 
his family, consisting of a wife and two children, to 
Morristown. On the ninth of February, of the year 
of his removal to his new parish, Mr. Johnes was in- 
stalled by the Presbytery of New York as pastor of the 
church, which for more than half a century he served 
most faithfully and efficiently. Prior to the coming 
of Mr. Johnes to Morristown, no record of church 
proceedings had been kept, or if any had been kept, 

51 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

they have not since been available. But almost im- 
mediately after the commencement of his services as a 
supply with the church of which he was to become the 
pastor, he began a record of its proceedings, which was 
continued until his decease. The title which appears 
at the beginning of this record, written by Mr. Johnes 
himself, is worthy of presentation, and is as follows : 

"The Record of the Church, in the town of Morris, from 
the first Erection and founding of it there; — and, under 
Christ, as Collected, and Setled, and Watered (in much 
weakness) by Timo. Johnes, Pastor; who first came, Aug. 
13th, 1742, stayed 6 Sab., and then fetched my Family, and 
was ordained, Feb. 9, 1743." 




52 




CHAPTER IV 



"I love the memory of the past, its pressed but fragrant 

flowers, 
The moss that gathers on its walls, the ivy round its towers." 



T the time of the installation of the 
Rev. Mr. Johnes, the Presbyterian 
church of Morristown had a mem- 
bership of somewhat over ioo, of 
which, in view of its rare genealog- 
ical importance, a complete list is 
here appended : 




"John Lindley, Elizabeth Lindley, his wife; John Lindley, 
Jr., Sarah Lindley, his wife; Jacob Fford, Hannah Fford, his 
wife; Joseph Prudden, Joanna Prudden, his wife; Caleb Fair- 
child, Anna Fairchild, his wife; Joseph Coe, Judith Coe, his 
wife; Joseph Coe, Jr., Esther Coe, his wife; Solomon Mun- 
son, Tamar Munson, his wife; Benjamin Pierson, Patience 
Pierson, his wife; Stephen Freman, Hannah Freman, his 
wife; Matthew Lum, Susanna Lum, his wife; Peter Cundit, 
Phebe Cundit, his wife; Philip Cundit, Mary Cundit, his wife; 
Joseph Howard, Mary Howard, his wife; Sarah, wife of 
Samuel Ford; Benjamin Bailey, Letitia Bailey, his wife; 

53 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Samuel Nutman, Abigail Nutman, his wife; James Cole, 
Phebe Cole, his wife; Benjamin Coe, Rachel Coe, his wife; 
Thomas Kent, Ebenezer Mahurin and his wife, Uriah Cutler, 
Timothy Mills, Job Allen, of Rockaway; John Clarke, Abi- 
gail Clarke, his wife; Benjamin Beach, of Rockaway; Abner 
Beach, of Rockaway; Jonah Arstin and his wife; Zeruiah, 
wife of Isaiah Wines, 'now of Captain Samuel Day;' Sarah 
wife of Isaac Price; Martha, wife of Cornelius Arstin; Susan- 
na, wife of Caleb Tichenor; Sarah, wife of James Frost; 
Mary, wife of Isaac Clark; Elizabeth, wife of David More; 
Ann, wife of Alexander Robards; Ann Allen, widow; Sarah 
wife of Abraham Hathaway; Bethiah, wife of Thomas Wood; 
Experience, wife of Benjamin Conger; Charity, wife of Ben- 
jamin Shipman; Phebe, wife of Shadrach Hathaway; , 

wife of John Jonson; Catherine, wife of Peter Stagg; , 

wife of Eliacam Suerd; Mary Burt; Comfort, wife of Joseph 
Stiles; Joanna, wife of Peter Prudden; Samuel Sweasy, Su- 
sanna Sweasy, his wife; Hannah, wife of Joseph Fowler; 
Hannah, wife of Jeremiah Johnson; Martha, wife of John 
Fford; Abigail, wife of Jonathan Conklin, 'now of Samuel 
Bayles;' Charles Howell, daughter (?) of Charles Howell; 
Deborah, wife of Charles Howell; Dr. Elijah Jillet; Jane, 
wife of Dr. Jillet; Elder Morris, of Basking Ridge; Mary, his 
wife; Sarah, wife of Abraham Campfield; Phebe, wife of 
Joshua Ball; Elizabeth Kermickle, widow; Nathan Ward's 
wife; Jemima, wife of Deacon Matthew Lum; Samuel Bald- 
win, of Mendham; Rebecca, wife of Zechariah Fairchild; 
Elizabeth, wife of Captain Clark; Sarah, wife of Samuel 
Mills; Elizabeth, wife of David Gauden; Mattaniah Lyon, 

, his wife; Alexander Johnson's wife; Silas Halsey, 

Abigail, his wife; Bathiah, wife of Benjamin Halsey; John 
MacFeran, Elizabeth, his wife; Nathan Price, Peter Prud- 
den." 

As explanatory of the composition of the list of names 
above presented, it should be said that in connection 

54 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

with the list, as recorded in the book of the First Pres- 
byterian church of Morristown, there appears, in the 
neat handwriting of Mr. Johnes, the following head- 
ing: 

"The number and names of the persons that were in full 
communion when the church was first collected and founded, 
together with the number of those that came since from oth- 
er churches." 

The following entry upon the membership roll of 
the young church in Morristown — the first to be made 
after the entry of the long list above given — is of 
such special interest that it is here presented : 

"August 15, 1765, Naomi, wife of John Laporte, turned 
from the Anabaptists and received on ye foot of her being a 
member of that ch. in good standing." 

West Hanover, afterward Morristown, was prob- 
ably settled under the following regulations made by 
the Duke of York for all settlements in the province 
of New Jersey : 

"Every township is obliged to pay their own minister, ac- 
cording to such agreement as they shall make with him, and 
no man to refuse his own proportion; the minister being 
elected by the major part of the householders and inhabitants 
in the town." 

In strange contrast with the salaries received by min- 
isters of the Gospel in the twentieth century (insuf- 

55 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

ficient as, in the writer's judgment, they are), the sal- 
ary, in money, promised Mr. Johnes at his settlement, 
or installation as we would now call it, was twenty 
pounds, which at that period was equivalent to about 
$50 per year; we must, however, rely upon tradition 
in the acceptance of this statement. It could not have 
been long after the settlement of Mr. Johnes as pastor 
of the Presbyterian church of Morristown, that he was 
able to furnish his table chiefly from the products of the 
parsonage plot, which covered the piece of land bound- 
ed by the present Morris, South and Pine streets, and 
extending down to the Whippany River. 

Just when Mr. Johnes began to occupy the par- 
sonage cannot now be definitely stated ; but it could not 
have been long after his settlement as pastor of the 
Presbyterian church. This parsonage stood on the site 
now occupied by the Memorial Hospital, on the left of 
Morris street, as one goes "from town" to the station 
of the Lackawanna Railroad. It was the writer's privi- 
lege to frequently see this interesting old building while 
it stood upon its original site. The old parsonage build- 
ing has been moved to a place almost directly across 
Morris street, and now stands somewhat back from 
the sidewalk. It is occupied by a private family. 

The farmers of the parish plowed the ground, planted 
the seed and gathered the crops, for "the parson ;" and 
furnished and cut the wood used in his house. The 
periodical parish "bees" furnished the parsonage with 
liberal supplies of necessaries for the table ; and on the 
return of the beloved pastor from his social visits over 

56 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

the parish he was not permitted to be empty-handed. 
It has been said that "every imaginable article, from a 
riddle to a squire's publishment of a marriage, has been 
found on the account books of ministers (of 'ye olden 
times') as having been received in partial payment of 
stipend." Could the account books of Mr. Johnes their 
secrets unfold, they would doubtless relate a similar 
story ; a story which would make extremely interesting 
reading for the present generation. 

Reference has already been made to the casting of 
lots at Whippanong, as a means of deciding the long 
mooted question whether the primitive church organi- 
zation should remain there, or be removed to another 
part of the extended parish ; to the refusal of that 
portion of the Whippanong church, residing at West 
Hanover, to abide by the decision of the lot that the 
church organization should remain where it was origin- 
ally established, notwithstanding their solemn agree- 
ment so to do ; and to the fact, also, of the premature 
establishment of religious services at West Hanover, 
regardless of the counsel of synod and presbytery, and 
the wishes of the brethren residing at Whippanong. 

The sequel to the ecclesiastical irregularities above 
mentioned could not have been particularly agreeable 
to the active participants therein ; for almost imme- 
diately following the settlement of Rev. Timothy 
Johnes, as pastor of the young church at Morristown, 
they were called to an account for their conduct in the 
matter. The citation of the following extract from the 
records of the First Presbyterian Church of Morris- 

57 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

town, will suffice, without note or comment, for our 
enlightenment upon this interesting subject : 

"An accompt for Public Confession. A public confession 
at the settlement of the ch. for a transgression Relating to a 
Lot Cast with Reference to the Settling of a house for Pub- 
lic Worship between Hanover & this town. Ye persons that 
confessed are Joseph Coe, John Lindley Jr., Joseph Prudden, 
Matthew Lum, Uriah Cutler, Stephen Freeman, Peter Cun- 
dit, Jacob Fford, Joseph Howard, Benj. Bailey, Philip Cundit, 
Benjamin Coe, Ebenezar Mahurin, Samuel Nutman, Timo- 
thy Peck, Cornelius Arstin, Solomon Munson, Caleb Fair- 
child, Joseph Coe, Zachariah Fairchild, Joseph Tichenor." 

That the Morristown church, and its conscientious 
young pastor, did not regard these fellow-members as 
totally and irremediably depraved, is clearly appar- 
ent from the fact that five of them were subsequently 
elected to the eldership, in which capacity they rendered 
most excellent service to the church, which may be 
facetiously spoken of as having been "born out of due 
time." The names of these elders, who seem to have 
composed the first session of the First Presbyterian 
Church of Morristown, were : Joseph Prudden, Mat- 
thew Lum, John Lindsley, Joseph Coe and Jacob Ford, 
the latter, the son of John Ford, Esq., of what is now 
known as Monroe, situated about two miles to the east- 
ward of Morristown. One at least of these church offi- 
cials, Jacob Ford, played a conspicuously important 
part in the civic affairs of a town which is now famous, 
the country over, because of its rare Revolutionary his- 
tory. Of Jacob Ford it has been said by a local histor- 

58 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

ian of high repute (the late Edmund D. Halsey, Esq.) : 
"He was no doubt the leading man in Morristown" ; 
but close behind him, it should be said, come not a few 
other Morristonians, whose names and deeds materially 
aid in illuminating the pages of its local history. 

Almost from the time of its first settlement by the 
whites, about the year 17 10, what is now Morristown, 
was called West Hanover and New Hanover, inter- 
changeably ; and it was a part, at first of Burlington, 
and later of Hunterdon County. The following ex- 
tracts from the minutes of the Hunterdon County 
Court, under date of June 5, of the year 1722, held at 
Trenton, then the county seat, will serve as a link 
between the original settlement of what is now Mor- 
ristown, and its subsequent history as a separate town- 
ship officially bearing that name : 

"Whereas, there is no assessor returned to this court to 
serve for the inhabitants of the township of Hanover, it is, 
therefore, ordered by the court that Elisha Bird serve as as- 
sessor for the said township of Hanover for the ensuing year, 
to assess the tax to be levied upon the said inhabitants 
towards the support of his Majesty's government; and it is 
hereby ordered accordingly." 

Additional links between the periods mentioned, will 
be found in the several facts following: At the ses- 
sions of the same court, held in the years 1723, 1724 and 
1725, other officers were appointed for the township 
of Hanover, which, it should be borne in mind by our 
readers, included what is now Morristown. Com- 

59 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

mencing, however, with the year 1726, the Hanover 
Township officers were elected by the people in town 
meeting assembled, in genuine New England fashion. 
The record of the first town meeting convened for the 
election of officers in Hanover Township, is of too 
much interest to be passed over, hence it is given, ver- 
batim : 

"It being the General Town Meeting appointed by Law 
for Electing their town Officers, and the Inhabitants of our 
Said County being met on that acct., proceeded to chose as 
follows: John Morehouse assessor for ye Governor Tax, Jo- 
seph Lindsley Collector, Morris Morrison and Joseph Coe 
Freeholders, Abraham Vandine and Jonathan Stiles commis- 
sioners for laying out roads, Benjamin Beach and Matthas 
Van Dine, Thomas Huntington, Nathaniel Cogswell and 
John Courter overseers of ye Highway, John Morehouse 
Town Clerk." 

In the year 1729 the following persons were elected 
to the office of constable : Ephraim Rue, Stephen Tut- 
hill and Paulus Berry. Among the associate judges 
who sat at the October term, in the year 1737, of the 
Hunterdon County Court, was Abraham Kitchell, a 
resident of what is now Whippany. 

In the year 1739 a new county was laid out within 
the bounds of what had been Hunterdon County, to 
which was given the name of Morris County, in honor 
of Governor Lewis Morris, the first Chief Magistrate 
of New Jersey after its separation from New York. 
The act of the Legislature, passed on the fifteenth day 
of March, in the year 1739, by which Morris County 
was established, declares that : 

60 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"All and singular the lands and upper parts of the said 
Hunterdon County lying to the northward and eastward, sit- 
uate and lying to the eastward of a well-known place in the 
county of Hunterdon, being a fall of water in part of the 
north branch of Raritan River, called in the Indian language 
or known by the name of Allamatonck, to the northwestward 
of the northeast end or part of the lands called the New 
Jersey Society lands, along the line thereof, crossing the 
south branch of the aforesaid Raritan River, and extending 
westerly to a certain tree, marked with the letters L. M., 
standing on the north side of a brook emptying itself into 
the said south branch, by an old Indian path to the north- 
ward of a line to be run northwest from the said tree to a 
branch of Delaware river called Muskonetkong, and so down 
the said branch to Delaware river, all which said lands be- 
ing to the eastward, northward and northwestward of the 
above said boundaries, be erected into a county; and it is 
hereby erected into a county, named and from henceforth to 
be called Morris county, and the said bounds shall part and 
from henceforth separate and divide the same from the said 
Hunterdon county." 

The Morris County of the year 1739, as above de- 
fined, included what are now Morris, Sussex and War- 
ren Counties, containing 1,360 square miles, with a 
population of nearly 2,000. Morristown, owing in part 
to its central location, and in part, no doubt, to its 
importance as a town, by reason of the high character 
of its citizens, became, almost inevitably as it ap- 
pears, the county seat of the newly constituted county. 

The sessions of the Morris County Court, or Court of 
Common Pleas, as it is now generally known, whose 
institution followed promptly the establishment of the 
new county, were at first held in the tavern of which 

61 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Jacob Ford, Esq., one of the justices at the time, was 
the proprietor. This tavern may have been situated 
in the neighborhood of the original settlement at the 
foot of Town Hill; it may have been somewhere in 
the vicinity of what is now the Green ; or, what seems 
more probable to the writer, it may have been in the 
neighborhood of the "Washington Headquarters," at 
some point on what is now Morris street, which even 
as early as the period under consideration had doubtless 
become something of a thoroughfare for travelers east 
and west. This theory as to the situation of Jacob 
Ford's tavern, finds support in the fact, that Jacob 
Ford Sr., built the house now known as the "Wash- 
ington Headquarters," the foundation of which was 
laid in the year 1772, and which was completed in the 
year 1774, and the same year occupied by Judge Ford 
and his family. It is a matter of record (and this fact 
seems to be even more positively corroborative of the 
theory above suggested) that as early as the year 1731, 
Jacob Ford became the owner of a large tract of land, 
a portion of which lay to the eastward of what is now 
the Lackawanna Railroad. The writer had the privi- 
lege of examining a copy of the deed by which this 
tract of land was conveyed to Mr. Ford, on the "Thirty- 
first day of May In the fourth year of the Reign of 
King George the Second Defender of the faith Annoquo 
Domini One Thousand Seven Hundred and Thirty 
one." The witnesses to this deed were: Jonathan 
Osborn, Zachariah Fairchild and John Morehouse. 
The first session of the Morris County Court of 
62 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

which, so far as is now known, any record has survived, 
was held on March 25, in the year 1740. In the minutes 
of this initial session of the court it is referred to as 
the "General Sessions of the Peace," and the first mat- 
ters to receive its attention were the laying- out of the 
townships of Pequonock, Hanover and Morristown. 
From the minutes of the Morris County Court above 
mentioned, now bearing the marks of age and of con- 
tinuous usage, the following extract is presented, 
showing the action of the "General Sessions of the 
Peace" of the infant county, by which Morristown, as 
a township was originally established: 

"And that a certain road from the bridge by John Day's, 
up to the place where the same road passes between Benja- 
min and Abraham Persons, and thence up the same road to 
the corner of Samuel Ford's fence, thence leaving Samuel 
Ford to the right hand, thence running up the road that leads 
from the old Iron Works toward Succasuning, crossing 
Whippening bridge, and from thence to Succasuning, and 
from thence to the great pond on the head of Musconecong, 
do part the township of Hanover from the township of Mor- 
ris, which part of the county of Morris lying as aforesaid to 
the southward and westward of said roads, lines and places 
is ordered by the Courts to be and remain a township, dis- 
trict or precinct, and to be called and distinguished by the 
name of Morristown." 

Thus it will be seen that what had almost from the 
day of its settlement by the whites, about the year 
1 7 10, been called West Hanover and New Hanover, 
and, beginning with about the year 1738, had come to 
be popularly called Morristown, was, on March 25, of 

63 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

the year 1740, officially and legally named Morris- 
town, by the "General Sessions of the Peace," of Mor- 
ris County, New Jersey. 

The composition of the Morris County Court at its 
initial session, held as we have seen on March 25, of the 
year 1740, does not appear in the book of minutes ; but 
as given in the minutes of the second session of the 
court, held on March 26, in the same year, it was com- 
posed as follows : "The justices were : John Budd, 
Jacob Ford, Abraham Kitchell, John Lindsley Jr., Tim- 
othy Tuttle, Samuel Swesey." At the session of the 
county court last mentioned, the following township of- 
ficers were appointed for the term of one year : "Zach- 
ariah Fairchild, Town Clark and Town Book-keeper; 
Matthew Lum, Assessor ; Jacob Ford, Collector ; Ab- 
raham Hathaway and Joseph Coe Jr., Freeholders; 
Benjamin Hathaway and Jonathan Osborn, Overseers 
of the Poor ; Joseph Bridden and Daniel Lindsley, 
Surveyors of the Highways ; Stephen Freeman and 
John Lindsley, Esq., Overseers of the Highways ; Is- 
aac Whitehead, Alexander Ackerman and William 
Duglas, Constables." At the same session of the court 
a license was granted Jacob Ford for the keeping of a 
tavern and inn in Morristown. 

Before presenting the form of the license as granted 
by the County Court of Morris, to Jacob Ford, it may 
be said that at the May term of the Hunterdon County 
Court, held at Trenton, in the year 1738, petitions were 
presented by Jacob Ford and Abraham Hathaway, ask- 
ing for the renewal of their licenses to keep a tavern 

64 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

and inn at New Hanover for the year ensuing; and 
both were granted. The license granted Jacob Ford at 
the second session of the Morris County Court, in the 
year 1740, was really, therefore, a renewal of the li- 
cense granted him at Trenton about two years pre- 
viously. Following is an exact transcript of the 
license : 

"Jacob Ford, Esq., Presenting A petition to the Court 
Pursuant to A Late Act of the General Assembly of this 
Province for the Granting him A License to Keep a publick 
house and Inn in Morris town where he Now Lives the 
Court on reading the Same Ordered the Same to be filed & 
he having Entred into A Recognizance pursuant to Said 
Act the Court grants Said Jacob Ford Said License for one 
year now next Ensuing. Jacob Ford, Joseph Howard and 
David Wheeler Entered into recognizance Pursuant to the 
Directions of said Act." 

In the year 1752, the number of "freeholders" or 
real estate owners in Morris County, was about 450 ; 
which estimate is based upon a census "taken by virtue 
of a rule of the Supreme Court by John Ford Sheriff 
of the County of Morris, this thirty-first day of August, 
A. D. 1752." Of this number of freeholders, nearly 
two-fifths were residents of Morris Town. A prac- 
tically accurate list of the freeholders of Morris Town 
is here appended : 

"George Armstrong, Charles Allin, Ebenezor Allen, Jonah 
Allin, William Armuld, Samuel Armund, Robert Arnuld, Ben- 
jamin Baley, David Brant, Herick Benjamin, Henry Burg, 

65 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

John Beadel, Jacob Beadle, John Brookfield, John Burwell, 
Solomon Bates, Soloman Boyles, Samuel Baley, Thomas 
Bridge, William Broadwell, Benjamin Coe, Benjamin Con- 
ger, Benjamin Carter, Daniel Cooper, David Comton, Ezeakiel 
Cheevers, Ellis Coock, Frances Caterlin, Francis Caterlin, 
Jr., Jacob Carle, Joseph Coe, Jonathan Conklin, Isaac Clark, 
John Cramer, James Colwell, Jacob Cline, Joseph Coe, Jr., 
John Clark, James Cole, Peter Cundict, Philip Cundict, Peter 
Cline, Robart Chambers, Seth Croell, Stephen Conkling, Thom- 
as Coe, Thomas Cleverly, Thomas Canem, Uriah Cutler, Wil- 
liam Crane, William Cumton, John Day, Samuel Day, Thomas 
Darling, Hir Esborn, Richard Easton, Richard Easton, Jr., 
Benjamin Fowler, Benjamin Freeman, Ebenezor Fairchild, 
Gorshom Fairchild, John Feper, Jacob Ford, James Frost, 
Joseph Fairchild, Joseph Fouler, Richard French, Samuel Frost, 
William Frost, Zacheriah Fairchild, David Goddin, Henry 
Gardner, Jonas Gobel, Jacob Garagrace, Robart Gobel, Simeon 
Gobel, Thomas Gurin, William Gardner, Jr., Zopher Gilder- 
sleave, Abraham Hatheway, Abraham Hatheway, Benjamin 
Hatheway, Benjamin Halsey, Seth Hall, Benjamin Hatheway, 
Jr., Daniel Hayward, Ezra Halsey, Gilbort Headey, Jonathan 
Hatheway, John Holoway, Joseph Hayward, Isecker Hunter- 
ton, Shadrach Hayward, Samuel Hutson, Simeon Hatheway, 
Jeremiah Johnson, Peter Kimbol, Thomas Kint, Cread Lud- 
lum, Daniel Lindsley, David Lum, David Leonard, Juniah 
Lindsley, John Lindsley, Josiah Lee, Joseph Lacey, Mathew 
Lum, Peter Layton, David Moore, David Muer, James Miller, 
John Marsh, John Muchmore, Soloman Munson, Samuel 
Munson, Timothy Mills, William Miller, Abraham Person, 
Benjamin Parker, Daniel Prost, Henry Primrose, Isaac Price, 
Joseph Prudden, Joseph Person, John Parkest, Nathaniel Park- 
er, Zebulon Potter, Daniel Rattan, Daniel Roberts, Giddeon 
Riggs/ Jonathan Reaves, John Robart, James Rogers, Na- 
thaniel Rogers, Peter Rattan, Richard Runyon, Sam- 
uel Ross, Samuel Robarts. Daniel Sears, Joseph Stiles, 
Jonathan Stiles, Samuel Sutton, Samuel Sayer, Benoney 

66 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Thomas, Caleb Tichnor, David Trobridge, Jesper Totten, Jes- 
per Totten, (Jr. 2), Mathias Tyson, Samuel Totten, Samuel 
Tuttle, Sylvenus Totten, Thomas Tomson, William Tharp, 
Bliker Witenac, Daniel Walling, Henry Wick, John Wade, 
Joseph Wood, Isaac Whitehead, Jonathan Wood, Joseph 
Wingit, Luis Wiens, Rubin Wingit, Samuel Whitehead." 

We have seen that the sessions of the Morris County 
Court were at first held in the tavern of which 
Jacob Ford Esq. was the proprietor. How long this 
arrangement continued it is difficult now to determine 
with certainty, although it is safe to presume that the 
court continued to sit at the Ford tavern, and, pos- 
sibly, at the residences of other Judges of the Morris 
County Court, in Morristown, until the erection of a 
courthouse. It was during the year 1755 that the first 
courthouse, a rude log structure, was erected near the 
centre of what is now the Morristown Green ; we say, 
"What is now the Morristown Green," for it 
then had no existence, not even, so far as is now known, 
in the imagination of the fathers. What is now the 
Morristown Green was probably as late as the year last 
mentioned, simply a vacant, and nearly square, lot, com- 
prised in the large tract of land, then owned by the 
Presbyterian church, and known as the "meeting house 
land," the "parsonage land," and "the green." 

This primitive courthouse served the purpose, also, 
of a jail, and here, for a period of fifteen years "im- 
partial justice," it is to be hoped, "held her equal 
scales ;" until the year 1770, when a new building was 
erected on land purchased of the First Presbyterian 

67 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

church, as may be learned from the following entries 
in the trustees' book of said organization : 

"May 17, 1770, the trustees being Duely Called and met at 
the county hous (the log structure erected in the year 1755, 
near the middle of what is now the Green), and agreed to 
Convey a Part of the meating hous Land to the freeholders 
of the County of Morris for the Benefit of the Court hous." 
"June 7, 1770, the trustees met & Gave a Deed for one acre 
of Land on which the Court hous (the log structure near the 
middle of what is now the Green) standeth to three majes- 
trets and the Freeholders of the County of morris." 

The new courthouse and jail erected in the year 
1770, was a one-story frame structure, about thirty-five 
feet in depth and forty-five feet in length, 
shingled on all four sides, and on the roof. It 
extended out to about the centre of what is 
now the street passing in front of the United States 
Hotel, and faced to the northwest, or toward the pres- 
ent site of the above named building. By way of con- 
firmation of this statement as to the location of the old 
Morris County courthouse, it may be said, that when, a 
few years since, the macadam road was in process of 
construction in front of the United States Hotel, some 
of the foundation stones of the old courthouse were dis- 
covered about one-third of the distance out from the 
curbstone of the present Green walk. 

Underneath the front veranda of the above named 
hotel may be seen several oaken timbers which once 
formed part of the old jail on the Green. These tim- 

68 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

bers are filled with wrought iron, handmade nails, driv- 
en into them to prevent the escape of prisoners by cut- 
ting their way out. 

The narrow lane running in front of the new, or 
second, courthouse, was dignified by the name of Court 
street. Of the courthouse of the period now passing 
under review, it has been said by an antiquarian : "Nor 
was the old Court House any way inferior to these 
(other buildings around the Green) as a relic of 
antiquity, a sort of curiosity shop, standing in its en- 
closure on what then and for many succeeding years 
was called 'the Green,' perhaps because no grass grew 
on its face." 

Near the courthouse and jail stood the pillory, 
which, however, owing to the increase of enlighten- 
ment, was not used after the year 1796, although as late 
as the year 1803, its decaying stump remained as a 
silent reminder of a heathenish mode of punishment 
inflicted upon men created in the image of God. 

Five pounds, we are informed, was the price paid 
by the county of Morris for the one acre of land, 
"strict measure," on which the new courthouse and 
jail was erected — a building, the story of which would 
alone make to all lovers of local history, particularly, 
a volume of thrilling interest. The reader may be will- 
ing to tarry a few moments at this juncture of our story 
to listen to the relation of a single incident — that of one 
Uriah Brown, and his mysterious disappearances from 
the "debtor's room," which was one of the special fea- 
tures of the old courthouse. Uriah, as may be inferred, 

69 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

was a victim of the infamous law requiring imprison- 
ment for debt, which, with advancing civilization, has 
disappeared from the pages of our statute books. In 
the apartment where Brown was confined, was a large, 
old-fashioned fireplace, about half way up the massive 
chimney of which strong iron bars had been placed, to 
prevent the escape of prisoners by way of that sooty 
exit. For several nights in succession, loosening one 
of the iron bars, Brown would stealthily ascend the 
spacious stone chimney, and by way of the low roof 
(the building at that period was, the writer presumes, 
only one story in height) gain terra firma, where he 
doubtless accomplished all the sweet pleasure of his 
will. Early in the morning following, however, the 
deputy sheriff, who had rooms in the building, would 
be rudely roused from his uncompleted slumbers, by a 
knock at his door. Hastening, on the first morning, at 
least, to ascertain the nature of the urgent business re- 
quiring his untimely awakening, he would be blandly 
greeted by the migratory jailbird, who, fearing arrest 
as a jail-breaker, was naturally solicitous to resume his 
comfortable day quarters in the "debtor's room." Fail- 
ing to draw from Uriah Brown the explanation of his 
escape, the deputy sheriff was left to infer that some 
accomplice had stolen his keys, and permitted the 
prisoner to go free. The repetition of Brown's dis- 
appearance and reappearance resulted in the conclu- 
sion on the part of the officials that he was devil-pos- 
sessed, and only the expressed resolution of the said 
superstitious officials to bind him with chains, forced 

70 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

from Uriah's lips the confession that the removal of 
one of the iron bars in the great chimney flue made the 
open door for his mysterious escapes. As will be seen 
at a later stage of our story, the Uriah Brown incident 
just related, interesting in itself as it may be to our 
readers, is insignificant in comparison with the series of 
important events and occurrences associated with the 
courthouse and jail, and its auxiliary, the detested pil- 
lory, in subsequent years. A second story, it may be 
here remarked, was added to the courthouse and jail 
of which the reader has just heard, during the year 
1776. A cupola and bell were also among the im- 
provements made in connection with the raising of the 
one-story structure. The addition of the second story 
to the courthouse and jail, as will in due time appear, 
was a necessity required by the exigencies of the crit- 
ical period through which Morris County was then 
passing. 

Thanks to the patriotic spirit of the Morristown 
Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, 
the site of one corner — the southwest — of the Morris 
County courthouse and jail of the Revolutionary pe- 
riod, is now marked, approximately at least, by an up- 
right, unhewn stone, to whose face is fastened a bronze 
tablet bearing the following suggestive inscription: 
"1770- 1827. Here stood the Court House and Jail at 
the time of the American Revolution. Marked 1904 
by the Morristown Chapter D. A. R." The dedicatory 
exercises were of an interesting character and may, at 



7i 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

a later stage of our story, receive the attention due the 
importance of the occasion. 

It will be noticed in the picture of the Morris Coun- 
ty courthouse and jail, as a two-story structure, with 
its quaint cupola and vane, and as it appeared between 
the years 1776 and 1827, that the detested pillory is rep- 
resented as standing a few feet in front of the north- 
west corner of the building. There is ample evidence, 
however, upon which to base the unqualified statement 
that the pillory stood about seventy-five feet due south 
of the courthouse and jail, which, from a point of the 
sidewalk in front of and across the street from the 
present (1905) postoffice, would locate the pillory 
about forty feet back from the sidewalk in the direc- 
tion of the parsonage of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

In the picture of the courthouse and jail will be no- 
ticed, also, a well-curb, with an old-fashioned sweep, 
represented, and rightly, as the writer believes, as hav- 
ing been situated a few feet in the rear of the building 
in question. By whom, or when this well was dug, it is 
doubtless impossible now to definitely determine ; as 
to the when, however, the index finger of probability 
seems to point in the direction of the theory that almost 
simultaneously with the erection, in the year 1755, of 
the primitive log courthouse on what is now the Mor- 
ristown Green, the springs thereof were loosed, and its 
refreshing waters began to flow, and to entitle it to the 
application to itself of the following words of Miss 
Eliza Cook, the poetess : 

72 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Traverse the desert, and then you can tell 
What treasures exist in the cold, deep well, 
Sink in despair on the red, parch'd earth, 
And then ye may reckon what water is worth. 

At the risk of the seeming prematureness of the of- 
fering of the following suggestions — if they have a 
basis in fact we confess our inability to substantiate 
them — they will, notwithstanding, for lack of a more 
opportune time, be here presented : For nearly two 
score years prior to the opening of the Revolution, the 
waters from the "old well" on the Green may have 
quenched the first of the then loyal Jersey subjects of 
King George. During the smallpox epidemic in Mor- 
ristown, in the year 1777, when many of Washington's 
soldiers were confined in the Presbyterian and Baptist 
houses of worship, then used as hospitals, the cool 
waters from the "old well" in the rear of the court- 
house and jail, may have assuaged the burning thirst 
of not a few of the victims of the dire disease which had 
fallen relentlessly upon the hamlet nestled among the 
hills of northern New Jersey. It is a well-established 
fact that during the Revolution several Tories were 
hanged in Morristown, probably from the limb of some 
convenient tree in the vicinity of the courthouse and 
jail ; and that their untimely exit from this fair world 
was rendered more comfortable by the administration 
of a "cup of cold water" from the depths of the "old 
well" on the Green, is but a reasonable tribute to the 
quality of mercy existent in the breasts of their execu- 
tioners. 

73 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Nor is it, by any means, outside the bounds of rea- 
son to presume, that during his frequent walks across 
the Green, during the years 1777, 1779 and 1780, the 
immortal Washington may have lingered long enough 
to refresh himself with a draft from "the cold, deep 
well." 

With the rapid flight of years the primitive well- 
sweep gave way to the more convenient well-curb, with 
overhead wheel, and rope and bucket to bring the 
sparkling waters from the quiet depths below. This 
means of water drawing was in due course of time 
succeeded by the more modern pump, by which the 
needs of its numerous patrons were supplied — patrons, 
who, as the years rolled on, had come to cherish a com- 
mendable sentimental regard for the "old well" on 
the Green, whose beginnings had been in the dim 
distant past "whereof the memory of man runneth not 
to the contrary." To the ears of the writer there has 
come the report that nearly a quarter century ago a few 
interested (?) citizens of Morristown, dominated ap- 
parently more by the spirit of commercialism than by 
the spirit of sentimentalism, insisted that the water in 
"the cold, deep well" on the Green was unwholesome, 
and hence its use as a beverage for man should be 
discontinued, and the well be obliterated by filling in, 
as a means of escape from a much "talked of" epi- 
demic. The writer wonders — this much in parenthe- 
sis — whether the epidemical fear of two and a half 
decades ago was the forerunneer of the epidemical 
panic in our fair city of more recent years, the subjects 

74 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

of which insisted (and successfully) upon the oblitera- 
tion, by the filling in or draining, of several pretty bod- 
ies of water, which for many years had furnished 
amusement for our youth, and gratification for the 
esthetic. If, as a recent author says : "Within your- 
self lies the cause of whatever enters into your life. 
To come into the full realization of your own awakened 
interior powers, is to be able to condition your life in 
exact accord with what you would have it" — it may be 
the cause of the apprehended epidemic above al- 
luded to, may lie within rather than without. 

To return to "the pump on the Green" — it is reported 
that peremptory steps were taken to remove it, and fill 
in the well ; which was prevented, however, by the 
prompt and energetic action of sentimental residents 
of Morristown, who had the water chemically ana- 
lyzed, and found to be pure and wholesome. The 
"pump on the Green" was subsequently made an issue 
in local politics, with the result that the old iron pump 
is still standing, and the well it not filled in. Shall it 
not be permitted to remain as a suggestive landmark 
for "generations yet unborn," that 

When to the sessions of the sweet silent thought 
I summon up remembrance of things past, 

they may, in national crises which it is not impossible 
may come, be animated by the same measure of patriot- 
ism which carried the fathers through the times that 
"tried men's souls ?" 

75 




CHAPTER V. 

"Sincerity, 
Thou first of virtues, let no mortal leave 
Thy onward path, although the earth should gape, 
And from the gulf of hell destruction rise, — 
To take dissimulation's winding way." 




MONG the early settlers of what is 
now Morristown there were a few 
persons, at least, of the Baptist be- 
lief, who until their organization in- 
to a church, may have occasionally 
attended the Presbyterian services 
inaugurated, as we have seen, as 
early as the year 1734 at the place above named. In 
his history of the Baptist Church in America, Benedict 
says : 

"As early as 1717 one David Goble, with his family of the 
Baptist persuasion, removed to this place (West Hanover) 
from Charleston, S. C, and some ministers of the same or- 
der began to preach at their house; a small company, after 
many years of patient effort, were collected as a branch of 

76 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

old Piscataway, which in 1752 was formed into a distinct 
church." 

The writer is of the opinion that the first date (1717) 
mentioned in the above-cited extract may be inaccurate ; 
that the arrival of Mr. Goble in West Hanover, and the 
inauguration of Baptist services there, may have oc- 
curred somewhat later than the year 17 17. Of the ac- 
curacy of Mr. Benedict's statement, however, with 
the exception of the date in question, there is appar- 
ently no reason to doubt. At the period under consider- 
ation West Hanover, as our readers will doubtless be 
interested to learn, extended from what is now the quiet 
hamlet of Monroe, with its pretty chapel, on the east, to 
the Passaic River at Van Doren's mill, on the west ; and 
from what is now Morris Plains, on the north, to the 
edge of the Great Swamp, on the south. In view of 
the meager population of the period, it will readily be 
seen that the settlement, which a few years subsequent- 
ly became Morristown, was but sparsely inhabited. The 
Baptists of West Hanover resided, for the most part, 
on what is now known as the Mountain Road, or Mt. 
Kemble Avenue, as it is also called, leading toward 
Basking Ridge and New Vernon. The centre of the Bap- 
tist population, however, seemed to have been in the 
neighborhood of what is now popularly known as the 
"Brick Schoolhouse" (situated about three miles south 
of the Morristown Green), in which religious services 
are now frequently held. These Baptist pioneers in 
West Hanover were as tenacious of their doctrinal be- 

77 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

liefs as were their brethren of the Presbyterian faith of 
theirs ; hence our readers need not be greatly surprised 
to learn that for several years — probably a score — they 
not infrequently worshiped on Sunday with those of 
their own persuasion at Piscataway, in the vicinity of 
New Brunswick, of which church some of them, at 
least, were at the time members. 

The Baptist church at Piscataway was organized in 
the year 1689, and it is, therefore, in point of age, the 
mother of the numerous churches of the same per- 
suasion now existing in New Jersey. A journey of 
about fifty miles, on horseback, and perhaps on foot, 
through a wilderness broken only by their own blazed 
path, to enjoy the privilege of worshiping God ac- 
cording to the dictates of their own individual con- 
sciences, furnishes a most impressive illustration of 
the profound sincerity of those pioneers of the Baptist 
faith in Morris County ; sincerity of which Lady Cud- 
leigh says : 

Oh, that I could to her invite 
All the whole race of human kind; 
Take her, mortals, she's worth more 
Then all your glory, all your fame; 
Than all your glittering, boasted store, 
Than all the things that you can name. 
She'll with her bring a joy divine; 
All that's good and all that's fine. 

On the eighth day of June, in the year 1752, eleven 
persons of the Baptist faith residing in Morristown, ob- 

78 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

tained letters of dismissal from the mother church at 
Piscataway, for the avowed purpose of organizing a 
church of their own faith at the first named place ; and 
on the eleventh day of August, of the same year, "The 
Baptist Church at Morristown" was regularly organ- 
ized by Elders Isaac Eaton, Benjamin Miller and Isaac 
Steele, all members of the mother church. By the ad- 
dition of six new members by baptism, on the day of 
its organization, the membership of the infant church 
was increased to seventeen, representing eleven famil- 
ies. The names of the eleven persons dismissed from 
the mother church at Piscataway — who constituted the 
nucleus of the young church — were Daniel Sutton, 
Jonas Goble, John Sutton, Melatiah Goble, Jemima 
Wiggins, Daniel Walling, Ichabod Tomkins, Sarah 
Wiggins, Mary Goble, Naomi Allen and Robert Goble. 
All these Gobies may have been and probably were 
the children of the David Goble, who, as historian Ben- 
edict states, removed from Charleston, S. C, to West 
Hanover, in the year 1717. 

At the first business meeting of the newly organized 
Baptist Church, held on the nineteenth day of August, 
in the year 1752, a deacon and church clerk were chosen, 
and arrangements were also made for the supply of the 
pulpit, and the administration of the ordinances. It 
could not have been long after the organization of the 
church that a meeting-house was erected on land said 
to have belonged to the David Goble already men- 
tioned, as having removed from Charleston, S. C. This 
meeting-house, a small frame structure, shingled on 

79 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

sides and roof, stood about ioo yards below the pres- 
ent brick schoolhouse, on the same side of the road, 
leading toward Basking Ridge, and near what is now 
known as the "Mills Bailey" house. Indeed, it is the 
opinion of some students of local history, that it stood 
on the site of the house mentioned. If this were true, 
the conjecture that a portion of the old Baptist meeting- 
house was used in the construction of the "Mills-Bailey" 
house, is not without a reasonable basis. With refer- 
ence to the Morristown Green, the location of this 
primitive Baptist meeting-house is about three miles dis- 
tant in a southerly direction. 

For a period of about two years the pulpit of "the 
Baptist Church at Morristown" was supplied by several 
persons, including Revs. Isaac Eaton, James Manning, 
Benjamin Miller and John Gano. Mr. Gano, who was 
still pursuing his studies at Princeton College (located 
at Newark), also conducted religious services in pri- 
vate houses in the hamlets adjacent to Morristown. 
The Rev. Isaac Eaton mentioned was the founder of 
Hopewell Academy, the first Baptist theological school 
in America, which was subsequently removed to Rhode 
Island, where it was developed into what is now Brown 
University. The Rev. James Manning here mentioned, 
became the first president of Brown University. The 
first pastor of the Baptist Church at Morristown was 
Rev. John Gano, and his introduction to the church may 
be learned from the following extract from the ex- 
tant Morristown Baptist Church records: "1754, May. 
Mr. John Gano came to us and continued to preach 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

for us till October following, when he went on a jour- 
ney to Carolina." Mr. Gano was then but twenty-seven 
years of age. His subsequent return to the pulpit of 
the Morristown Baptist Church is evidenced by the 
following extract from the church records : "1755, June. 
Mr. J. Gano returned from Carolina and again went on 
to preach for us." From the extract following, the 
conclusion of Mr. Gano to become the permanent pastor 
of the Morristown Baptist Church may be learned : 
"October (1755) Mr. Gano, at the earnest request of 
the church, concluded to settle with us for the sum of 
forty pounds a year." After his marriage to Sarah, 
daughter of John Stites, Esq., Mayor of Elizabeth 
Town, which followed close on his settlement in Mor- 
ristown, Mr. Gano purchased a farm in the vicinity of 
the primitive house of worship. 

During his brief pastorate, Mr. Gano frequently con- 
ducted religious services in the districts adjacent to his 
parish, including Basking Ridge, Mendham, Morris- 
town (at the central village), and Hanover. The 
first convert under Mr. Gano's labors in Morris County, 
was Hezekiah Smith, who is said to have resided in 
Hanover then a separate township. Young Smith was 
baptized by Mr. Gano on the twenty-sixth day of Feb- 
ruary, in the year 1756. He subsequently entered the 
Baptist ministry, and attained to eminence in his pro- 
fession in New England. Of the Haverhill (Mass.) 
Baptist Church, of which he was the founder, he was 
the beloved pastor for the period of forty years. 



81 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Mr. Gano's characteristic reference to the conversion 
of young Smith is worth quoting. He says : 

"At one of these places there was a happy instance of a 
promising youth (by name Hezekiah Smith), who professed 
to be converted, and joined the church, who appeared to 
have an inclination for education. * * * He went through 
a collegiate education at Prince Town College, and came 
out a zealous preacher, and, to appearances, a useful one. 
The church at Morristown gradually grew and the congre- 
gation increased." 

In the sentence last quoted the success of Mr. Gano's 
pastorate is comprehensively summed up. Passing over 
intervening events in connection with his Morristown 
pastorate, the following extract from the church books 
is cited: 

"i757> June 24. Elder John Gano returned from Carolina 
But instead of being willing to remain with us, he now re- 
quested liberty from the church to remove to Carolina and 
settle there. And a meeting of the church being called to 
consider upon it, they concluded that if he thought it his duty 
to go there and leave them, he might go, but they would 
give no other consent, leaving it to his own conscience." 
"September 25. Elder Gano, thinking it his duty to go, 
moved from us to Carolina after disposing of his property 
in Morristown." 

Both Mr. Gano and Mr. Smith were chaplains under 
Washington in the Continental army during the Rev- 
olution. From the diary of the Rev. Mr. Smith, the 
following extracts, having more or less reference to 

82 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Morristown and Morris County, during the early 
years of their history, will be found of deep interest : 

"1764. Feb. 27. Preached in Morristown and after hear- 
ing Mr. James Manning preach, I administered the Sacra- 
ment. Monday, March 5. Preached at Jeremiah Sutton's at 
Long Hill. In the evening gave an exhortation after Mr. 
Manning had preached. 

"1764. Nov. 6. I went by water (from New York) to the 
Point and from thence in a chair to Jeremiah Smith's. Wed- 
nesday, 21. I preached in the Morristown meeting house. 
Thursday, 22. Preached in Mr. Green's meeting house. 
(Hanover). Friday, 23. Went to Morristown and in the 
evening I preached at Mr. Oliver's. Saturday, 24. Preached 
in the Baptist meeting house and in the evening at Deacon 
Gobel's. 

"1765. Wednesday, Sept. nth. Went to my father's. Fri- 
day, 13th. In the evening I preached at Happy Cook's Sat- 
urday, 14. Went to Capt. Brookfield's in Morristown and 
preached there that night. Sabbath, 15. Preached two ser- 
mons in the Baptist meeting house at Morristown. In the 
evening I preached at Mr. Brooks's. Wednesday, 25. Went 
to commencement at Princeton and took my Master's de- 
gree. 

"1766. Monday, Oct. 6. I preached at my father's a ser- 
mon from Ps. 23:1. After sermon I baptized my mother in 
the Passaic River. In the evening I preached at Happy 
Cook's." 

No less interesting are the following extracts from 
a timely article, entitled, "Rev. Hezekiah Smith, D. D. 
A Morris County Boy of the Early Day. One of Wash- 
ington's Chaplains," by Rev. Norman Fox, D. D., 
which appeared in The Jerseyman, in the year 1904: 

83 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

"He is widely known as one of the Chaplains of the Rev- 
olutionary Army. He was always interested in civil as well 
as religious matters. In his journal for 1766 we find the fol- 
lowing entry: — "Thursday, July 24th. Preached two sermons, 
one in my meeting house and the other at New Rowley. It 
was a good Thanksgiving Day, which day was by authority 
set apart as a day of thanksgiving on account of the repeal 
of the Stamp Act.' But this slight clearing of the sky was 
followed by ever thickening tempests and in 1775 we find 
him with young men of his town among the troops around 
Boston. Among his papers is a somewhat extended outline 
of a sermon on 'The Soldier's Spiritual Armor,' which ac- 
cordingto a note at the end was 'composed to preach the 18th 
of June, 1775, at Cambridge, amongst Col. Nixon's regiment, 
in consequence of an invitation by letter from the Colonel 
himself.' Had not this been carefully written out the world 
might have lost it, for on Saturday the 17th, came the bat- 
tle of Bunker Hill and it is doubtful if the next day the ex- 
citement had so far subsided as to allow the men to give due 
attention to this well-prepared discourse. 

"Under date of July 12th, 1775, the church records say: — 
'Voted, — That our pastor shall comply with the request of 
Col. Nixon and supply as Chaplain the quarter part of the 
time for the future in his regiment.' In this regiment were 
many from Haverhill. Col. John Nixon was present as a 
soldier at the siege of Louisburg in 1745; was a captain in the 
attack on Ticonderoga and in the battle of Lake George; 
was at the head of a company of minute men at Lexington, 
and at Bunker Hill received a wound from which he never 
recovered. He was made Brigadier General, Aug. 9th, 1776, 
and placed by Washington in command of Governor's Isl- 
and. He was again severely wounded at Stillwater, receiv- 
ing permanent injuries. He and the Chaplain were warm 
personal friends. 

"Chaplain Smith's letters to his wife give many vivid de- 
tails of Washington's siege of Boston. When the army was 

84 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

transferred to New York, he went as Chaplain of Nixon's 
and Reed's regiments, arriving there April 15th. When the 
latter was sent to Canada, Webb's took its place. The next 
December, after an absence from home of a year and eight 
months, he took a furlough. 

"Among the papers left by him is a commission signed by 
John Hancock, President of Congress, constituting and ap- 
pointing Hezekiah Smith, Gentleman, 'to be Chaplain of a 
battalion whereof John Nixon, Esq., is Colonel in the Army 
of the United States,' etc. Later he appears as Brigade Chap- 
lain. 

"In a list of twenty-one Brigade Chaplains in the army, 
Aug. 17th, 1778, there are two Episcopalians, three Presby- 
terians, five Congregationalists, five whose church relations 
are not given, and six Baptists, nearly a third of the whole, 
viz., Gano, formerly of Morristown; Smith, formerly of Mor- 
ris county; Jones, Rogers, Thompson and Vanhorn. There 
were other Baptist chaplains in the army and when it is re- 
membered that the Baptists of that day were but a handful 
of people it will be seen that their record is an exceedingly 
honorable one. 

"Having rejoined the army at Peekskill, Chaplain Smith 
set out with Gen. Nixon on July 5th, 1777, for Albany and 
the Burgoyne campaign. His journal gives some vivid de- 
scriptions of the battles of Stillwater and Saratoga. For the 
next three years, with some long furloughs, he was on ser- 
vice with the army on the lower Hudson. 

"It is evident that he commanded the respect of men of all 
ranks. From his papers we learn that on Sept. 14th, 1777, in 
preaching to his brigade, he had among his hearers Gen. 
Gates, Gen. Glover, Gen. Poor and other prominent officers. 
We read also, — 'Sabbath, Aug. 2d. — I preached a sermon to 
our brigade from Malachi 2:5. His Excellency General 
Washington attended. I dined with him the same day.' 
'Monday, Nov. 1st. — I went to West Point. Dined with 
Washington.' Washington corresponded with Chaplain 

85 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Smith after the war. His grand-daughter speaks of re- 
membering among the family papers a package of twenty or 
thirty letters from Washington, which were given away to 
friends in days when such documents were not so highly re- 
garded as at present. When Washington visited Haverhill 
in 1789, he called on Chaplain Smith at his house." 

The second pastor of the Baptist Church of Morris- 
town was Rev. Ichabod Tomkins, who was a member 
of the local church, and was ordained to the ministry 
and assumed the pastoral charge of the church on the 
sixth day of November, in the year 1754. His pastor- 
ate closed with his decease, in consequence of small- 
pox, on the eighth day of January, in the year 1761. 
Among the present membership of the Baptist Church, 
of Morristown, are descendants of Mr. Tomkins. On 
the seventeenth day of June, in the year 1767, John 
Walton was ordained to the ministry, and at the same 
time installed as pastor of the Baptist Church of Mor- 
ristown. 

A score of years had scarcely elapsed since the or- 
ganization of the infant Baptist church at Morristown, 
when its membership was increased to nearly a hundred 
— eighty-five to be exact. On the fifteenth day of Feb- 
ruary, in the year 1769, therefore, during Mr. Wal- 
ton's pastorate, a meeting of the church was held, at 
which time it was concluded to draw up and circulate 
as soon as possible, subscripition papers for raising 
money for a new meeting-house to be erected "on Mor- 
ristown Green." Among the subscribers to the fund 
for a new Baptist meeting-house, was John Brookfield. 

86 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Upon his decease, at Spring Valley, there was found 
among his papers a memorandum book, kept by him 
while living. This came into the possession of his son, 
Job Brookfield, who died in the year 1877. When last 
seen the writing in this memorandum book was as leg- 
ible as if it had been executed within a decade, the ink 
being of a dark color, and distinct. From this memor- 
andum book the followingg extract is presented : 

"February 15, 1769. 
"At a meeting of Business of the Baptist church at Morris 
Town, it was concluded that subscriptions be drawn up as 
soon as possible for the building of a new meeting house on 
Morris Town Green and to be sent out and if we can git 
£200 signed exclusive of what the church members will give, 
to go on with the building. 

£. 

Zopher Gildenshaw o 

Jeams Brookfield o 

Jeams Miller o 

Benjamin Goble o 

Robard Goble 2 

Elijah Person o 

Capt. Stark 3 

Ephriem Goble 8 

John Linsly o 

Fradreck King 2 

Joseph Wood 2 

Garshom Goble 3 

John Brookfield 5 

Samuel Serin and Zopher Freeman, in part 1 

Moses Monson 1 

Anais Holsey 6 

Gilbard Allien 1 

87 



s. 


P- 


13 


II 


10 


10 


I 


9 


9 


8 





5 


9 


2 


3 


9 





1 


6 


2 


16 


2 


10 


6 


6 


10 


2 


9 


18 


9 


5 


10 


10 


4 


4 


3 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

William Goble i 9 9 

Hanah Lincton 5 6 

Jonathan Wood J 3 5 

Solomon Monson 4 2 

Solomon Southard 3 J 8 6 

Aaron Stark, Jr 6 13 11 

Peter Jollomons 6 3 3 

John Stark 1 I o 

Jacob Alien and John Alien 3 17 ° 

Daniel Congar o 5 I 

Abraham Person o 2 o 

John Lepard 099 

Thomas Wood 2 o 

Waitstill Monson o 19 6 

Gorge Goble ° J x 

Joseph Fairchild ° 5 ll 

Anney Wilkinson 1 2 2 

Benjamin Goble by Jeminey Day 1 7 7 

Moses Person 1 16 6 

John Conkling 1 3 ° 

John Shadwick o 1 1 

Abraham Ludlow o 10 9 

Jeams Hill 1 15 8 

Robard Goble 13 5 

William Cullen 3 o o 

76 19 

Aaron Curnit also gave £8. 0. 0. Proc. and £12 Lite." 

It will be noticed that several of the above named 
subscribers to the fund for a new Baptist meeting-house 
on the "Morris Town Green," were of the Presbyterian 
faith ; from which it is evident that ecclesiastical com- 
ity is no novelty in the twentieth century. 

The Rev. Mr. Walton, during whose pastorate the 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

movement toward the raising- of money for a new meet- 
ing-house began, died in the year 1770, and on his head- 
stone, in the Presbyterian burial grounds, is the follow- 
ing inscription : "In memory of Rev. John Walton, who 
was minister of the Baptist Church in Morristown, and 
who died October the first, 1770, aged thirty-five years. 
The burying ground of the primitive Baptist Church 
of Morristown (whose commencement may have ante- 
dated several years the organization of the church) was 
situated on the opposite side of the road from the meet- 
ing-house, and a few rods farther north in the direc- 
tion of the Morristown Green. This burying ground 
seems to have commenced at some point between the 
present residence of John S. Green, and that of Lewis 
P. Baird ; and, as necessity required, was extended 
northward along the road leading "toward town." In 
recent years the remains of interments have been found 
as far north as the rear of Lewis P. Baird's residence. 
Headstones have also been found in the same locality. 
It was the writer's rare privilege (he speaks as a lover 
of local history and tradition) to see, not long since, on 
the premises of John S. Green, two headstones, which 
once marked the burial place of some family interred 
in this ground. We say "some family," for Mr. Green 
informed the writer that in close proximity to the two 
headstones mentioned, were two or three smaller stones, 
the whole number being in a row, and the natural infer- 
ence is that the two larger stones marked the resting 
places of the parents, and the smaller ones those of their 
children. These headstones were removed by Mr. 

89 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Green, personally, about twenty-two years ago. Some 
of these stones had settled into the ground so as to be 
nearly out of sight, while one or two were a few inches 
above the surface of the ground. One of the two 
stones seen by the writer was about four feet in length 
by one foot in width and three inches in thickness ; the 
dimensions of the others were somewhat smaller. All 
the stones mentioned were of common field stone, and, 
so far as could be seen, bore no inscription, and probably 
never did. A wooden stake — thanks to the thoughful- 
ness of our informant — now marks the spot where 
these rude headstones once stood. Inasmuch as the 
house now occupied by John S. Green, was, as early 
as about the year 1750, the residence of Robert Goble, 
one of the original members of the Baptist Church of 
Morristown, it is probable the headstones found in the 
rear of Mr. Green's house, marked the graves of mem- 
bers of Mr. Goble's family. It may be that the graves 
were those of Mr. and Mrs. Goble, and two of their 
children, in other words it may have been the family 
burial ground. In seeming confirmation of this con- 
jecture it may be said, — so the writer has been informed 
by one who was born, and for not a few years lived in 
the neighborhood in question (our fellow townsman, 
John D. Guerin), — that on the same side of the road 
leading toward Basking Ridge, but some little distance 
below the Robert Goble place, there is a family burial 
ground. Still farther down the same road, and on the 
same side, but lying at a considerable distance back 
from the road, is another family burial ground, shel- 
tered by a handsome copse of trees. 

90 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

It is by some thought that during the encampment 
of Washington's army in the vicinity of the old Bap- 
tist burying ground, in the winter of 1779-80, not a 
few of his deceased soldiers were interred therein. This 
conjecture is by no means without a reasonable basis. 
The proximity of the encampment to the burying 
ground, and the consequent convenience of interment 
therein, would of itself furnish excellent ground for 
such conjecture. But to this there may be added the 
fact of the numerous interments made in this old bury- 
ing ground, as evidenced by the large number of 
mounds visible, some of them at least, not many years 
since ; as well as by the unusual extent of the interments 
to the northward ; all of which circumstances render it 
improbable that local casualities could have entirely 
furnished the inhabitants for this populous city of the 
dead. 

During the construction of their new meeting-house 
on the "Morris Green," the Baptist people, who by this 
time had mostly removed "into town," held divine ser- 
vices in the new courthouse erected, as we have seen, 
on the Green, in the year 1770. The Baptist meeting- 
house, when completed, was about forty feet in length 
by thirty feet in depth, and stood on a slight elevation, 
a little farther back from what is now Speedwell Ave- 
nue, than the more pretentious structure of a later date. 
We say "what is now Speedwell Avenue" because at 
the period under consideration, there was no road 
where Speedwell Avenue now is. 
The picture of the Baptist meeting-house, appearing in 

91 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

connection with our story, is an accurate representation, 
having been made from a description of the structure 
furnished, indirectly, it is true, by those who saw it 
while standing. For this accurate representation of the 
Baptist house of worship of 1771, our readers are in- 
debted to George W. Howell, surveyor and civil engin- 
eer, now deceased, and one of his talented daughters, 
Miss Rachel Howell. 

On the second Sunday in May, of the year 1771, the 
new meeting-house was formally dedicated by exercises 
appropriate to the occasion, which was one of rare inter- 
est to those present. It is a circumstance, for a knowl- 
edge of which present and future generations of Mor- 
ristonians, particularly, should congratulate themselves, 
that the dedicatory sermon was delivered by the Rev. 
John Gano, the first pastor of the church ; John Gano, 
of whom Henry Clay is reported to have said : "Of all 
the preachers I have ever listened to, he made me feel 
the most that religion was a divine reality." 

The first pastor of the Baptist Church on "Morris 
Green" was the Rev. Reune Runyon, who in the month 
of December, 1771, began his labors, as a licentiate. 
He was ordained to the Baptist ministry in the month 
of June, in the year 1772. Mr. Runyon was the pastor 
of the Morristown Baptist Church during the Revolu- 
tion ; and he is said to have been an ardent patriot, 
brave and true. Of this church more will be said at the 
proper time. 



92 




CHAPTER VI. 

"And often a retrospect delights the mind." 

"There are not unfrequently substantial reasons under- 
neath for customs that appear to us absurd." 




HE period of Morristown's local his- 
tory lying between its settlement, 
and the opening of the Revolution, 
presents a picture, the examination 
of which, in contrast with present 
conditions, will doubtless prove of 
great interest, especially to the 
young, and to others who may be unacquainted with 
the customs and habits of those early days. 

True to their Old England and New England train- 
ing, the early inhabitants of Morristown regarded Sun- 
day, or the Sabbath as they then almost invariably 
called it, as the chief day of the week ; and attendance 
upon the services of the sanctuary was to them a 
sacred duty, which was not, except under extraordinary 
circumstances, to be neglected. Neither extreme dis- 

93 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

tance from the house of worship, nor the inconvenience 
of primitive modes of conveyance ; not even the long 
and tedious services of the period, were sufficient to 
deter these God-fearing pioneers from regular attend- 
ance upon the public means of grace. 

Wagons and carriages as modes of conveyance were 
rarely seen in Morristown until after the Revolutionary 
period. During the Colonial period, however, a family 
might now and then be seen on the Sabbath, riding in a 
cart to the house of worship. Usually they were seated 
on a sheaf of straw, placed crosswise in the springless 
vehicle, drawn, perchance, by a well-broken yoke of 
oxen. Most of those who lived at too great a distance 
from the house of worship to walk, rode on horseback, 
especially the women and small children. The sight of 
a father occupying the saddle, and driving the horse, 
with a mother seated on a pillion (the pad or cushion 
attached to the hinder part of a saddle, as a second 
seat), and the children hanging on as best they could, 
and in this manner pensively wending their way to the 
house of God, was by no means infrequent in the early 
days of Morristown's local history. 

In marked contrast to the custom of the present cen- 
tury, the women of the early days were seated during 
divine service on one side of the broad aisle, running 
north and south in the Morristown Presbyterian meet- 
ing-house, and the men on the opposite side. The aged 
of both sexes occupied the seats directly in front of the 
pulpit, in part, no doubt, to facilitate hearing. In one of 
the two side galleries, each reached by a separate flight 

94 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

of stairs, sat the unmarried women and girls ; while in 
the other sat the unmarried men and boys. 

As a means, not invariably effectual, however, of 
controlling the buoyancy of youth, certain men — "tith- 
ing men" they were called in early New England, and 
in Old England, "beadles" — were employed ; their com- 
pensation perhaps consisting of the assiduously culti- 
vated consciousness of being "drest in a little brief au- 
thority," or what is more charitable to suppose, of the 
keen gratification of enforcing what was then deemed 
the proper observance of the Sabbath — the day of which 
the poet says, and truly, too: "The week were dark, but 
for Thy light ; Thy torch doth show the way." The 
tithing men of New England found it necessary to equip 
themselves with an emblem of authority — an ecclesias- 
tical wand, we will call it — with which, by a slight tap 
on the shoulder or head, they not infrequently awakened 
the drowsy worshiper to a realization of his sanctuary 
privileges ; and if they now and then used it with force 
subdued upon the cranium of some seemingly incor- 
rigible youth of the masculine sex, it was, of course, 
for "the glory of God." Whether the "overseers of 
grave character" employed in Parson Johnes's "meetin'- 
house" in early Morristown, were similarly equipped, 
or whether, if they were, they ever found it necessary 
to similarly apply the aforesaid emblem of authority, 
the chroniclers of local history, for reasons best known 
to themselves, have omitted to mention — because, per- 
chance, of their belief that : 



95 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Historians, only things of weight. 

Results of persons, or affairs of State, 

Briefly, with truth and clearness should relate. 

Two services on the Sabbath, one commencing at 
10 130 o'clock in the forenoon, and the other at 1 130 
o'clock in the afternoon ; with an hour's intermission, 
spent in social converse absolutely devoid of course, of 
what is now known as gossip ; and in munching an im- 
provised lunch, including a liberal supply of aromatic 
fennel (Latin, foeniculum), that the adolescent youth of 
the gentler sex might "smell of sweetest fennel" — such, 
in brief outline, was the program of the primitive day of 
worship in early Morristown, so far as church attend- 
ance was concerned. 

The writer distinctly remembers when the custom of 
a morning and afternoon preaching service prevailed in 
New England, with the Sabbath-school sandwiched in 
between ; his recollection, however, of the excessive de- 
mands upon his vitality necessitated by two preaching 
services, and the conduct of a Bible class of young men 
of an inquiring turn of mind, between — with only suf- 
ficient spare time to run to the nearby parsonage for a 
bite and a sip, to restore jaded nature — is not without a 
lingering protest against a custom which constrains not 
a few of its victims of other days now to exclaim : 

Ah! what avail the largest gifts of heaven, 
When drooping health and spirits go amiss; 

How tasteless then whatever can be given! 
Health is the vital principle of bliss. 
96 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

And then the extreme length of the sermons, and in- 
deed, of the entire service of the early days of Morris- 
town's history — why, the mere contemplation of it 
throws over one the weariness induced by an extensive 
journey. Even Parson Johnes, much as he was beloved 
by his large flock, and earnestly as he proclaimed the 
eternal verities, as he understood them, must have found 
it well-nigh impossible to woo his drowsy hearers 
from : 

Man's rich restorative; his balmy bath, 

That supplies, lubricates, and keeps in play 
The various movements of this nice machine, 
Which asks such frequent periods of repair, 
When tir'd with vain rotations of the day. 

But the sermons of the early days, their extreme 
length notwithstanding, constituted the chief and en- 
grossing topic of conversation in the homes of Parson 
Johnes's scattered parishioners during the week, where 
every conceivable phase of them, from "firstly" to 
"lastly" was earnestly discussed. The writer wonders, 
as he reviews the early years of Morristown's history, 
whether there would not now be a similar reverence 
for the Lord's Day, and a similar interest in the weekly 
ministrations of the pulpit, if the pulpit of the twen- 
tieth century courageously led the people in their 
thought of things eternal. 

To be permitted to see, in his own handwriting, the 
notes of a sermon delivered by "Parson Johnes" (as 
we write his name, a feeling of inexpressible awe 

97 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

broods over us) during his long and eminently useful 
pastorate of the Presbyterian Church of Morristown, 
will, we believe, be esteemed a rare privilege by readers 
who are following the story of the first century's his- 
tory of this truly famous town. 

The notes of such a sermon (abbreviated, as will be 
noticed, for the purpose, undoubtedly, of economizing 
space) are presented in this volume. It was a 
sermon delivered in the year 1755, after Mr. 
Johnes had been settled over his flock about 
twelve years. It will be noticed that only a single 
page, the first of the sermon notes, is presented. 
The complete notes of this sermon, however, 
occupy eight pages. The handwriting of the sermon 
notes presented is, in the original, considerably smaller 
than the handwriting of Dr. Johnes in general : hence, 
it has been thought well to somewhat enlarge the orig- 
inal, to facilitate reading. For the truly rare privilege 
of looking upon the photographic reproduction of this 
page of Dr. Johnes's sermon notes, the readers of this 
story are indebted to the courtesy of a direct descend- 
ant — a great-grand-daughter, now residing in Morris- 
town, who for many years has sacredly preserved this 
precious souvenir of a period of our local history, 
which will increase in interest as the years roll on. 

There is one custom of the early years of Morris- 
town's history, the mention of which should not be 
omitted. This is the peculiar style of singing in con- 
nection with the services of the sanctuary, known as 
"lining." A man was employed to stand, usually on 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

the floor in front of the pulpit, and read a line of the 
hymn — Watt's hymns were for many years almost ex- 
clusively used — after which it would be sung by the 
congregation ; another line would be read, and then 
sung, and so on to the close of the long musical com- 
position. The fact that not all the devout worshipers 
of those primitive days could read, either type or notes, 
accounts in large measure for the quaint custom of 
"lining" to which allusion has been made. If tradi- 
tional reports of the public singing of the early years 
are to be credited, its effect upon those of musical ear 
in the congregation, could scarcely have been such as 
Pope describes in speaking of the delights of music : 

I seem through consecrated walks to rove, 
I hear soft music die along the grove. 

To Dr. Johnes is given the credit of having intro- 
duced a choir and choir-singing into his service; not, 
however, without objection on the part of some of his 
flock, one member of which was so indignant as to ab- 
sent himself for a long time from the communion. 

The days of which we are speaking were the days 
of fireplaces in the homes of the people; stoves were 
unknown until many years afterward. With rare ex- 
ceptions, however, the meeting-houses of the early 
years did not enjoy the luxury even of a fireplace. By 
means of perforated tin foot-stoves, filled with live 
coals, the women and children were made comfortable, 
shall it be said, or were they simply prevented from 

99 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

freezing? Upon a good blood circulation, induced by 
outdoor occupation during the week, the men were able 
to remain during the tedious services without serious 
injury to health. It may be, too, that certain phases of 
the preaching of those early years assisted in keeping 
up the circulation. One chronicler of local history in- 
forms us that when stoves were first introduced in the 
"Baptist Church on Morris Green" the stovepipes were 
run out through a window. As for means of church il- 
lumination in the "good old days," if an evening ser- 
vice were held, the worshipers brought a tallow candle 
in a hand candlestick, which was held until the ben- 
ediction was pronounced. The wall candlestick for the 
illumination of the meeting-house in the evening was a 
later innovation. "The women," we quote again from 
the entertaining paper read by Mrs. Isaac R. Pierson, at 
the sesqui-centennial celebration of the First Baptist 
Church, of Morristown, in the year 1902, "were clothed 
in the home-spun of their own industry. It was steady 
work with them, as all had to be supplied with clothing ; 
and this constant spinning gave the name of 'spinster' 
to the unmarried daughters of the family. Every farm- 
er raised his patch of flax which, when cured and prop- 
erly dressed was spun with a greater or less degree of 
fineness, according to the purpose for which it was in- 
tended, and was then woven into cloth and bleached on 
the grass in the sun. This made a linen cloth which 
was used for table or bed linen, etc. Many of us pos- 
sibly have these mementoes of the olden time. The 
tow, which was the coarser part of the flax, was used 

100 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

for ropes and harness, and a portion of it was spun and 
woven into a coarser cloth for men's wear. The cloth 
called 'linsey woolsey' was made of linen and wool, and 
used for women's wear. The woolen cloth for the men 
was dyed with a preparation of butternut bark, which 
gave it a peculiar shade of brown. It was then fulled 
and napped and dressed. 

The men wore knee breeches, long stockings, and 
shoes with silver buckles. The woman's dress consisted 
of a 'linsey woolsey' petticoat and short gown, with a 
kerchief pinned over the shoulders. 

"In the days of our ancestors, carding, spinning, 
weaving and knitting was the employment alike of the 
common people and the ladies of fashion. It was con- 
sidered an honor to appear in home-made apparel. Pins 
were almost unknown, and thorns were used in their 
place. 

"A shoemaker went from house to house, making the 
shoes for the family, at stated times. The flint and 
steel were the only means of getting fire. The fires 
were made of wood on the ground ; or if in a log house, 
on the wide stone hearth. When bedtime came enough 
live coals were buried in the ashes, for rekindling in the 
morning, but in case the fire should die out, resort must 
be had to the flint, steel and tinder box. In the absence 
of these, the musket was used by placing powder in 
the pan of the lock, and flashing it against a bunch of 
tow, an article found in every home in those flax-spin- 
ning days. When these failed, one had to fetch fire in 
an iron pot from a neighbor's." 

IOI 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Those days of long sermons, "lining," cold meeting- 
houses, foot-stoves, tallow candles or dips, spinning- 
wheels, fire-places, linsey-woolsey, etc., are gone, and 
we look back upon them merely as curiosities of the un- 
developed past. 

For nearly a score of years following its organiza- 
tion, the Presbyterian church of Morristown seems to 
have been without legal standing. The church and con- 
gregation had meanwhile greatly increased in numbers 
and in influence. Recognizing the necessity of a legal 
standing, and guided in the matter by their sagacious 
pastor, a petition was drawn up and duly presented to 
his excellency Jonathan Belcher, Esq., Governor of the 
New Jersey province, requesting incorporation. The 
extreme length of the charter granted by Governor 
Belcher forbids that it be given in full, hence the open- 
ing and closing lines only are presented. They are as 
follows : 

"George the Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Bri- 
tain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith. To 
all to whom these presents shall come. Greeting: 

"Whereas, the advancement of true Religion and virtue is 
absolutely necessary for the promotion of Peace, order and 
prosperity of the State, 

"And Whereas, it is the duty of all Christian princes and 
Governors by the law of God, to do all they can for the 
encouragement thereof, 

"And Whereas, Sundry of our loving Subjects of the Pres- 
byterian Persuasion Inhabitants of an (d) about the Town- 
ship of Morris, within our Colony of New Jersey, by their 
humble petition presented to our Trusty and well beloved 

102 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Jonathan Belcher, Esq., our Captain General and Command- 
er in Chief of our Province of New Jersey and Vice-Admiral 
in the same, showing that the petitioners and others of the 
same persuasion Inhabitants, in and about the Township of 
Morris aforesaid, do make up a very large and considerable 
congregation, that the most advantageous support of reli- 
gion among them necessarily requires that some persons 
should be incorporated as Trustees for the community that 
they may take grants of lands and chattels thereby, to en- 
able the Petitioners to erect and repair public buildings for 
the Worship of God, and the use of the Ministry and School 
Houses and Alms Houses, and suitably to support the Min- 
istry and the Poor of their church, and to do and perform 
other acts of Piety and Charity, and that the same Trustees 
may have power to let and grant the same under a Publick 
Seal for the uses aforesaid, And that the same Trustees may 
plead and be impleaded in any suit touching the premises and 
have perpetual succession. * * * 

"In Testimony Whereof, we have caused these, our Letters 
to be made Patent, and the Great Seal of our said Province 
of New Jersey to be hereunto affixed. 

"Witness, our Trusty and well beloved Jonathan Belcher, 
Esquire, Governor and Commander in Chief of our said 
Province of New Jersey, this Eighth day of September, in 
the Thirtieth year of our reign, and in the year of our Lord 
one thousand Seven hundred fifty and six. 

CHARLES READ, Secr'y. 

"I have perused the above charter and find nothing there- 
in contained inconsistent with the honor and interest of the 
Crown. September 7th, 1756. 

"C. SKINNER, Att'y Gen'l. 

"Let the Great Seal of the Province be hereunto affixed. 

"J. BELCHER. 

"To the Secretary of New Jersey. 

"Recorded at Trenton, Oct. 5, 1774, in Book C, 3, of Com- 
missions, page 7, etc." 

103 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

A complete copy of this charter may be found in 
"Record and Combined Register First Presbyterian 
Church, Morristown, N. J., 1742 to 1891." 

The following extracts from the trustees' book of the 
Presbyterian church of Morristown, will be found par- 
ticularly interesting to our readers. It will be noticed 
that the extract immediately following, is the first en- 
try to be made in the trustees' book after the receipt of 
the charter of incorporation : 

"A Record of the Transactions of the Trustees in and for 
the Presbyterian Chh & Congregation at morristown, in 
Vertue of a Charter granted to the said Chh & Congrega- 
tion by his Excellency Jonathan Belcher, Esqr., Captain 
General and Governor in Chief in and over his majesties 
Province of Nova Cesarea or New Jersey and territories 
thereon Depending in America Chancellor and Vice admiral 
in the same, &c, which Charter was granted the eighteenth 
of September, in the twenty ninth year of his majesties 
Reign 1756, the Expence of which Charter being about sev- 
en Pound Proc. was Raised by Publick Contribution Except- 
ing the writing of Sd Charter, which was Generously done 
by Ezekiel Cheever, member of Sd Society. 

"The Incorporated Trustees, Viz.: messiurs Benjamin 
Hatheway, President; Benjamin Bayles, Thomas Kent, Ben- 
jamin Coe, Charls Howell, Sam'l Robarts & henry Prim- 
rose, on the Receiving the Charter at the ministers hous 
from the hands of Mr. Johnes, who had Been Desiered and 
was Principally Concerned in obtaining the Sd Charter, the 
Trustees by a Vote did then and there appoint Sam'l Robarts 
the Corporation Clark. 

"The President according to Charter appointed a meeting 
of the trustees at his own hous January 18, 1758, all the mem- 
bers being Present it was agreed that as the President had 

104 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

heretofore given a Deed for the Parsonage to mess, mathew 
Lum, thomas Cleverly & Timothy mills that it might now 
fall under the Priviledges of the Charter, and it was agreed 
that Sd Parsonage Land by a Quit Claim be Conveyed to 
the trustees it was also agreed to take a Quit Claim Deed for 
the meeting hous Land which is now in the hands of Joseph 
Pruden & the Heirs of John Lindsley Deceased Both of the 
town of morris. 

"apriel 2 1759 the trustes met at ye Presidents hous ac- 
cording to the appointment All Present Except Benj Bayles 
at which time the President Received his Quit Claim of Said 
matthew Lum timothy mills and Thomas Cleaverly and ac- 
cordingly Gave a warrantee Deed to the trustees 

"apriel the 9 1759 the Clark by appointment of the Trus- 
tees Received a Quit Claim Deed for the meeting hous Land 
of Joseph Prudden * ********** 
may the 1 1761 the Trustees met on the Green But Capt. 
Stiles absent and agread to Lay out into Lots and Sell Som 
Part of the Pairsonag Land Lying before the meeting hous 
Dore. 

"June the 8 1761 the Trustees met eh icn Court hous and 
agreed upon a Price for three Lots the first which they then 
Conveyed to Joseph King was Sixteen Pound taen Shilling 
and Seald the Conveyance with the Shape of a man's head 
and the Second or midle Lot is Likewise Sixteen Pound taen 
Shilling the third or corner Lot twenty Five Pound which 
two Lots remain yet not sold ********** 

"apriel the 6 1762 the trustees met at Doct hatheways and 
Conveyed the third Lot to Isaac Bobet for twenty-five 
Pound and Sealed it with the Seign of a Sheaf and that Same 
Day Agread and Bought that same Seal for the use of the 
Charter." 

The following brief extracts from the records of the 
Presbyterian Church of Morristown, so carefully kept 
by the beloved pastor, are presented chiefly as illustra- 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

tions of the unceasing watchfulness exercised by the 
church over the conduct of its members, and of the 
means employed to restore the erring to the path of 
rectitude. Names are in some instances purposely sup- 
pressed by the writer. 

"Monday 12 of April — 56. 2 'o P.M. at Y House. B'r 

was inquired of as to the Reason of absenting from the 
Lords Supper and upon Examination judged his Reasons al- 
together groundless being but a Private suspicion of a cer- 
tain Brother's sincerity — and Exhort him to a careful and 
Impartial Examination and Prayer that he may escape the 
snare of our grand Adversary and invite him again to take 
his place at the Communion. 

"Jan. 18-58 * * * Also was resumed the case of Br. 
, & after much Reasoning and debating could not re- 
move his Scruple Tho' we Judge him Still to be in error in 
makeing a Private Judgement the ground of Omitting a 
Publick duty yet as we would shew all Tenderness in points 
of Conscience we would only recommend him to a more 
critical Study of those Precious rules of Scripture that refer 
to Chh. fellowship, & to God by earnest Prayer for direction 
& Light, & that the Moderator do Dehort, & Exhort, him 
from his Neglect, to his Duty. * * * January 3d 1760, 

Mr. and wife for partaking of stolen water-melon;" 

"July 26 1766, for a premeditated fist quarrel;" "Jan- 
uary 1 1772, , for taking hold of an antient man & 

member of ye ch., and shaking him in an unchristian & 
threatening manner." 

It is almost needless to say that the above unnamed 
persons were disciplined by the church for their alleged 
misconduct, as was also the individual referred to in 
the following extract : 

106 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"June 30, 1786, and wife for ye premature 

marriage of wife's sister after first wife's death." 

With the following extract, cited as will be noticed 
somewhat out of chronological order, we must deny our 
readers of further pleasure in the perusal of the quaint 
and in some instances pathetic records of church pro- 
ceedings, in an age which at best enjoyed but "a dim 
religious light," in comparison with the effulgence of 
the twentieth century. 

"June 10 1773. The Elders duely noticed Met at the Min- 
isters House accordingly present Dea. Prudden Dea. Lum 
Jno. Ayrs Esqr., Cap. Timo. Mills, Cap. Jno. Lindsley Mr. 
Ezra Halsey, & the Modr Timo. Johnes. The Session was 
opened by prayer, after which there was a dispute laid before 
us, respecting the title of a certain tract of land in Hanover, 
in which several parties were concerned, Viz. Col. Ford, 
Dea. Matthias Burnet, Joseph Ketchel Esqr., in behalf of 
Joseph Baldwin, & Alexander Car-michael, who all agree'd 
that the Judgement of the Elders should be finally decisive, 

and that each of them would abide their determination. 

This question disputed is that Dea'n Burnet for him Selfe & 
y'os connected with him complain that Col. Ford has laid a 
Proprietor-right on Lands that were Surveyed in the year 
1715, & therefore were not vacant when the Colonel laid his 
right upon them, after Hearing the parties, and Evidences 
distinctly, & reasoning upon the matter we deferred the fur- 
ther consideration of it to thursday next to meet at 2 'o elk. 

to deliberate further on the subject concluded with 

Prayer 

"Thursday June 17, 1773, the Elders met according to ad- 
journment, present all the Members & Parties, except Jo- 
seph Ketchel Esqr., and after Prayers the above Matter 

107 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

was resumed, and after hearing what the Parties could say, 
and the evidence that could be produced, the Mod'r before 
the Session made their judgment, recommended it to the 
parties Viz Col. Ford, Dea. Matthias Burnet, & Mr. Alex- 
ander Cermichael, to retire by them Selves, with mutual 
benevolence and condescention, to make proposals for ac- 
comodation, they accordingly after a proper time of de- 
liberation, came in, and to our great satisfaction, appeared 
in a friendly manner, and declared to the Session, that they 
had come to an entire agreement in the disputed matters, 
and superceeded the necessity of our Judgment. Con- 
cluded w'h Prayer." 

Again we quote from the trustees' book of the Pres- 
byterian Church of Morristown, this time concerning 
the establishment of schools in the village : 

"January 12 1767 the trustees Being called and met at the 
school hous henry Primrose Joseph Stiles and Benjamin Coe 
absent Proseaded and chose Benjamin Bayle President and 
Gave Lieve that a school hous might be Built on the Green 
Near whair the old hous Now Standeth." 

The early settlers of West Hanover had apparently 
followed the example of New England, from whence 
many of them had either directly or indirectly come, 
and "near the schoolhouse built the church." 

Indeed, this, the writer ventures to suggest, may have 
been literally true, for he is of the opinion that the 
"old house" mentioned as standing on "the Green," may 
have occupied a portion of the ground now owned by 
H. H. Davis, on Morris street, in the rear of the Pres- 
byterian manse. Or, it may have stood on the opposite 

108 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

side of what is now Morris street from the manse, not 
far from the office of the Daily Record. 

From the entry just quoted it will be seen, that prior 
to the year 1767, a school had been established in the 
village of West Hanover, and from the fact that in less 
than a decade after the settlement of Whippanong a 
school was established there, under the management of 
"John Richards schoolmaster," it will constitute no 
violence to reason to assume that as early at least, as 
the year 1725, the settlers of West Hanover, believing 
that 

"Learning by study must be won, 
'Twas ne'er entail'd from sire to son," 

had erected a "school hous" and employed an instruct- 
or, such as the times afforded, to impart to youth 
knowledge, which if the Bard of Avon is to be accepted 
as authority, is "the wing with which we fly to heaven." 
Of the interest of the people of early Morristown in 
the matter of education, there could be no more con- 
vincing proof than that furnished by the fact that in 
the year 1769, as may be learned by reference to the ses- 
sional records of the Presbyterian church, the sum of 
one hundred and fifty pounds and five shillings were 
contributed by the pastor and members of the above 
mentioned organization, toward the support of the 
College of New Jersey, now known as Princeton Col- 
lege. The contributors to the college mentioned were : 

"Rev'd Tim. Johnes £ g o 

Jacob Ford, Esq'r 21 o o 

109 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Dea. Matthias Burnet 9 o o 

Cap. Tim Mills 600 

Elder Daniel Lindsley 3 o 

Abr. Ogden, Esq'r 300 

Elder Jno. Lindsley 3 o 

Joseph Wood 6 o o 

Henry Gardiner o 16 

Nathan Reeve 3 o 

John Ayres, Esq'r 900 

Thomas Kenney 3 o 

Will'm De Hart, Esq'r 300 

Thomas Morrell 4 10 o 

Jonas Phillips 4 10 o 

Isaac Pierson 3 o 

Jonathan Cheever 1 o o 

Peter Condict 2 11 o 

Peter Prudden 2 11 o 

Moses Prudden 2 11 o 

Joseph Prudden 2 11 

Benjamin Pierson 9 o 

Samuel Tuthill, Esq'r 300 

Slias Condict 3 o 

Ezra Halsey, elder 12 o o 

Samuel Robarts 3 o o 

Augustine Bayles 3 o 

Wid. Phebe Wood 300 

Jonathan Stiles, Esq'r 1 15 

Cap. Benjamin Halsey 10 

140 5 o Proc. 

BENJAM'N LINDSLEY." 

The omission of the following entry, to be found in 
the sessional records of the Morristown Presbyterian 
Church, would render the preceding quotation incom- 
plete ; so it is appended : 

no 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"April 27, 1773. The Elders being met, Mr. Sergeant, the 
Treasurer of ye College receit for £140 Proc. was seen and 
acknowledged by the Elders and the overplush was allowed 
for incidental charges, testified in behalf of ye Rest by 

JACOB FORD. 

"Sept. 29, 1787. Then presented to the Trustees of Nassau 
Hall for the education of poor and pios youth as followeth, 
viz: 

Caleb Russel, Esq 22 dol. & 45 ninetieths 

Joseph Lewis, Esq 11 " & 5 

Silas Condict, Esq 42 & 1 

Icabod Cooper, 1 & 1 

Dea. Gilbert Allen I " & 80 

Philip Lindsley 3 " & 66 

Jonathan Dickerson, Esq 16 & 12 

Col. Benoni Hathaway 3 " & 30 

John Mills 9 " & 2 

£41 3- 9 

"For which they received the thanks of the Board of 
Trustees. 

Test. TIMO. JOHNES." 

From the following entry in the trustees' book of the 
Presbyterian Church of Morristown, there may be 
gleaned several facts of more than ordinary interest, 
with regard to schools in the township : 

"Octob 7 1771 the trustees met at Doct tuthills Esq. Sam 
Robarts absent and agreed that the money that Mr. Watt 
Left to the town Should be Laid out towards Purchasing 
utensils for the communian Table also that the school hous 
now on Peter Mackees Land be Removed onto the Parson- 
age Land and there to Remain During the Pleasure of the 
trustees and then Lyable to be Removed." 

in 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Where "Peter Mackee's land," with reference to the 
Presbyterian house of worship, was situated, it would 
be interesting to know ; that it was in the near vicin- 
ity of that house of worship is highly probable, and that 
it may have been in front of the "meeting house Dore" 
is possible. As to the residence of "Doct tuthill Esq.," 
we can speak with certainty ; it was situated on the 
left hand side of what is now South street, and about 
midway between what is now the southwest corner of 
the Green and what is now James street; or, to be 
somewhat more definite, it stood about opposite where 
Boyken street intersects with South street. Inasmuch 
as he was a leading man in the community, the reader 
will be interested to learn a few facts concerning "Doct 
tuthill Esq." And first as to his bearing the double title 
of "Doct," and "Esq." After his graduation from Yale 
College, he evidently studied medicine, which accounts 
for the application of the former title. On the nine- 
teenth day of March in the year 1759, when he was 
thirty-five years of age, he was appointed a judge for 
Morris County, by Governor Barnard, and on the 
twenty-first of April, in the year 1768, he was reap- 
pointed to the same office ; and here we have the expla- 
nation of the title of "Esq.," applied to this prominent 
Morristonian of former days. 

It would be exceedingly interesting to know who 
were the teachers in Morristown's early schools ; but 
this is a pleasure our readers are required to forego, 
since there is now, apparently, no way of ascertaining. 
We do know, however, that in the year 1779, there ap- 

112 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

pear on the roll of membership of the Presbyterian 
Church of Morristown, the names of "Mrs. Dow" and 
"Dorothea Cooper, school madams," who had evidently 
united with the church by certificate from some sister 
organization ; and from this circumstance we may be 
permitted to infer that they were teachers in the school- 
house on the parsonage land, wherever that may have 
been. Of the schoolhouse on the Green, no description 
has come down to us, nor is there now any knowledge 
of the methods employed in teaching. From the follow- 
ing description of a school situated a few miles from 
Morristown, at the period under consideration, given by 
an aged eye-witness, there may, however, be drawn an 
inference of the modus operandi of the school on the 
Morristown Green. This gentleman of four-score 
years and two (Mahlon Johnson) thus spoke, just prior 
to the opening of the Civil War : 

"The school building was constructed of logs, and instead 
of glass for windows sheep skins were stretched over aper- 
tures made by sawing off an occasional log. These windows 
had one virtue — they were an effectual screen to prevent pu- 
pils from being interrupted in their exercises by what was 
going on outside. The time was regulated by an hour-glass, 
and they drank their water from a tumbler made of cow's 
horn or ground shell. Arithmetic was not taught in classes, 
but the pupils ciphered when they were not reading, spell- 
ing or writing. The latter branches were taught in classes. 
A chalk line or a crack in the floor was the mark they were 
required to toe. The common school was hardly considered 
a school in those days unless the whack of the ruler or the 
whistle of the whip was frequently heard." 

113 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

The taverns and tavern-keepers of early Morristown 
were more numerous than the average resident of this 
now historic town apprehends, as may be inferred from 
the following announcement in the year 1764 : 

"Whereas Samuel Tuthill, of Morris Town, in Morris 
County (the identical Samuel Tuthill of whom we have just 
been speaking) purposes to leave of the Business of Tav- 
ernkeeping, he will sell the Farm where he now lives, con- 
taining about 90 Acres, being well proportioned with Wood 
Land, plough Land, and Meadow, and a fine Stream of Wa- 
ter running through the Whole; with a good Orchard on the 
same, consisting of 257 bearing Apple Trees, besides a Va- 
riety of other Fruit Trees; and also a large Dwelling House 
on the Place, convenient for a Tavern and other Public Bus- 
iness; standing about Twenty Two Rods from the Court 
House, in Morris Town, being in the most publick Part of 
the Country. Any Person inclinning to purchase, may ap- 
ply to Samuel Tuthill, on the Premises, who will give a good 
Title." 

Before bidding adieu to the period of Morristown's 
history so briefly reviewed, let us draw aside a little 
wider the veil separating the past from the present, 
and take a final view of affairs in Morristown as indi- 
cated by the following extract from the New York 
Mercury of December 20, in the year 1762: 

"On the 25th. of November last broke out of Morris 
County goal, in New Jersey, a prisoner named John Smith, 
an Irishman, tall, slender, and thin visaged, much pock 
marked, about 35 years of age, with brown hair: Had on, a 
brown jacket, a check shirt, and linen trowsers. Whoever 
shall take up the said Smith, and bring him to me, or my 

114 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

goaler, in Morris Town, shall have five pounds reward, and 
all reasonable charges, paid by 

"SAMUEL TUTHILL, Sheriff." 

That the "good old days" in Morristown's history 
were not exempt from crime, is a fact that, in a striking 
manner, is brought home to those of the present gener- 
ation, by such announcement as the following, from the 
New York Mercury of April 30, in the year 1764: 

"Morris Town, April 19, 1764. 
"FIFTY POUNDS REWARD. 
"Whereas my House in Morris Town, was broke open on 
Monday Night the second Instant, the Lock broke off my 
Desk, and my Pocket Book taken out, with about £27 in 
Cash, and several Writings of the greatest Consequence to 
me: Particularly some Receipts, one of which was from John 
Tuttle to me, for £200 York Currency; and as a certain Per- 
son was heard to say (that Morning before this Theft was 
made) that the above Receipt would never be seen again, I 
have the greatest Reason to suspect this infamous Robbery 
has been committed on Account of the aforesaid Receipt, 
with a villanous design to defraud me of the Money depend- 
ing on said Receipt, together with my Character: Therefore 
whoever willdiscover the audacious Perpetrator of this hor- 
rid Crime, shall receive on Conviction the above Reward, 
from 

"DAVID GOULD." 

"Contentment, rosy, dimpled maid, 
Thou brighest daughter of the sky — " 

must have been a stranger to the individual named in the 
announcement: "Runaway a few days ago from the sub- 
scriber of Morris Town, in East New Jersey, a servant man, 

115 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

named Ebenezer Haulbeet, a carpenter by trade, about 25 
years old, about 5 feet 8 or 9 inches high, light complexion, 
flax colour'd straight hair; rode a white horse, which it is 
supposed he would soon part with, as he is very fond of 
swaping horses. He is supposed to be gone to Connecticut, 
somewhere near or about Sharon, where he has relations of 
the same name. Whoever takes up said servant, and secures 
him in any county goal, so that I may obtain him again, 
shall have five pounds reward, paid by me. 

JOSEPH KING. 
"June 18" (no year given, probably 1764). 




116 




CHAPTER VII. 

'Who swerves from innocence, who makes divorce 
Of that serene companion — a good name, 
Recovers not his loss; but walks with shame, 
With doubt, with fear, and haply with remorse." 



If 


t| 


1 





HE oft-repeated saying that "truth is 
stranger than fiction" was never 
more aptly, nor, indeed, more amply 
illustrated than in the following con- 
densed account of the counterfeiting 
operations of Samuel Ford, and his 
partners in the crime, which was 
carried on by them in Morristown, chiefly, during the 
decade immediately preceding the commencement of the 
Revolution. 

Samuel Ford, the leader of this notorious gang of 
counterfeiters, was the son of Samuel Ford, whose fath- 
er was John Ford, who, in the year 1721, settled in what 
is now known as Monroe, situated about two miles to 
the eastward of Morristown, upon a large tract of land 
given him by John Budd as an inducement to open up 

117 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

a settlement in that region. From one of Samuel Ford's 
blood relations, who was familiar with his personal 
appearance as a young man, we learn that "he was a 
handsome man," but as we shall in due time ascertain, 
he did not become a shining exemplification of the 
significant saying that "Handsome is that handsome 
does ;" indeed, to quote again from the relation men- 
tioned, "he was a great grief to his friends." Samuel 
Ford, Jr., married Grace, the daughter of Joseph 
Kitchel, Esq., of Hanover Township, and she was a 
sister, therefore, of the Hon. Aaron Kitchel, who was 
United States Senator from New Jersey from the year 
1807 until the year 181 1, and who, before and during 
the Revolution, had played an important part in county 
affairs. Colonel Jacob Ford, Sr., was an uncle of Sam- 
uel Ford, Jr., who, as may be inferred from the fact 
of his highly respectable family relations on both sides, 
was the one "black sheep" of the flock. 

Prior to the year 1765 — it may have been as early 
as the year 1762 — we find Samuel Ford, Jr., engaged 
in the iron industry at what is now known as Hibernia, 
four miles north of Rockaway, in company with Lord 
Stirling and Benjamin Cooper; the latter the son of 
Daniel Cooper, one of the early judges of the Morris 
County Court. It is said that the Hibernia works were 
originally built and owned by Samuel Ford, Jr., and 
Lord Stirling, and that Benjamin Cooper joined them 
in the business subsequently. If the declaration of 
Samuel Ford, made in after years, is accepted as truth- 
ful (and the writer recognizes no reason for doubting 

118 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

it), Benjamin Cooper, during a period of financial em- 
barrassment in their business at Hibernia, suggested 
to him the idea of making and using counterfeit money 
to enable them to meet their pecuniary obligations, and 
so continue the business. It is not improbable — indeed, 
the writer ventures the opinion that it is highly prob- 
able — that either Samuel Ford, alone, or in conjunction 
with Benjamin Cooper, soon afterward began the man- 
ufacture at "Hiberny" of counterfeit money, but with 
what measure of success as to the execution or circu- 
lation of it the writer has no opinion to express. 

It is a matter of record that on the twenty-eighth 
day of October, in the year 1765, Samuel Ford sold sev- 
eral tracts of land at Hibernia to James Anderson and 
Benjamin Cooper. His wife Grace joined with him in 
the transfers. The deed given to Anderson was ac- 
knowledged "before me. Joseph Tuttle, Esq., one of the 
Judges of His Majesty's inferior Court of Common 
Pleas, held at Morristown, July 9, 1766." To this lat- 
ter circumstance special reference will be made at a 
later stage of this history, in connection with the en- 
deavor to account for the absence of the records of the 
Morris County Court from the year 1754, to the year 
1796 — a most significant fact when considered in the 
light of the highly sensational occurrences of the inter- 
vening period, one of which, we are about to relate. 
That Samuel Ford disposed of his interest in the iron 
business at Hibernia in the year 1765, seems evident 
from the consideration of two facts ; first, that the con- 
veyance of the tracts of land above mentioned to James 

119 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Anderson speaks of "outhouses, buildings, barns, fur- 
naces, &c., mines and minerals, &c.," as included in the 
deed; and, second, that as early as the year 1768 the 
firm conducting the Hibernia iron works is spoken of as 
"Benjamin Cooper & Co.," and Lord Stirling was 
understood to be the "Company." For the property 
sold by Samuel Ford at Hibernia, he received from 
James Anderson the sum of £265 13s. 46., and from 
Benjamin Cooper the same, having sold to each the 
same quantity of land. 

Not long after the sale of the above-mentioned prop- 
erty at Hibernia — it may have been late in the same 
year (1765), or early in the year following, probably 
the former — Samuel Ford made a trip to Ireland, and 
from the circumstance of the close proximity of the two 
occurrences, it is safe to infer that this sale of prop- 
erty was made for the express purpose of raising funds 
with which to defray the expense of his transatlantic 
trip. At the period under consideration, Ireland was 
reputed to have the most skilful counterfeiters in the 
world. The object of Samuel Ford's visit to the Green 
Isle was, as subsequent events clearly disclosed, the 
perfection of himself in the business of making counter- 
feit money, and in this branch of business he became, 
as we shall shortly learn, an expert. While in Ire- 
land he won the affections of an interesting Irish girl, 
whom, with undue haste, he married. She is said to 
have had a respectable sum of money, which we may 
reasonably assume was appropriated by the bridegroom 
in the conduct of his unique business. Ford remained 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

in Ireland several months, returning with his young 
Irish bride to America, as near as can now be ascer- 
tained, in the early part of the month of June, in the 
year 1766. 

Upon learning that Ford had a wife and children 
in this country, his bride of a few months was almost 
beside herself with grief and disappointment ; and that 
she promptly separated herself from one who had so 
basely deceived her, it is almost superfluous to mention. 
There is good authority for adding that this broken- 
hearted Irish girl subsequently married one of her own 
countrymen, and for many years resided in Whippany, 
New Jersey. 

It is a fact pregnant with significance that simul- 
taneously with the landing of Ford in this country, on 
his return from Ireland, there appeared in one of the 
New York periodicals the announcement of the arrival 
at that port of a ship with "a large sum of counterfeit 
Jersey bills of credit." Equally significant is the fact 
that on the twenty-eighth day of June, in the year 1766, 
the Governor of New Jersey issued a warrant on the 
New Jersey Treasury to the Honorable John Stevens, 
for dispatching an express into the province to inform 
the inhabitants of a large sum of Jersey bills of credit 
having arrived in a vessel from England ; the vessel 
evidently set sail from some port in the country last 
named. This counterfeit money was unquestionably 
the product of Samuel Ford, and his instructors, in the 
Emerald Isle. 

In the year 1767, Samuel Ford was a resident of New 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

York, and here he was arrested "on a charge of utter- 
ing false New Jersey bills of credit." There is no record, 
however, of his having been brought to trial for his 
alleged crime. 

With the consummate skill as a maker of counterfeit 
money acquired in Ireland, Ford now resolved to en- 
gage in the business— "a money-making affair" he 
pleasantly termed it — on an extensive scale; and we 
next find him living in a secluded spot on what is now 
the Columbia road, a little more than half a mile beyond 
the "Washington Headquarters." The house in which 
he lived with his wife and children, whom he had mean- 
while joined, has disappeared, and on its site there now 
stands another dwelling. His counterfeiting quarters 
was a hut or shop situated on a small island about in 
the centre of what has for many years been known as 
the "Hammock." The "Hammock" was in Samuel 
Ford's day a piece of swamp land, which, during the 
greater portion of the year was covered by a foot or 
more of water; indeed, a gentleman who for many 
years has resided in the vicinity, says: "I have seen 
five feet of water on the 'Hammock.' I have hunted 
ducks there." This same gentleman when asked by 
the writer how long this piece of swamp land has been 
known as the "Hammock," replied, with apparent irri- 
tation, that its long-continued designation should for a 
moment be questioned. "Why, bless you," he ex- 
claimed, "ever since I was a baby I have known it by 
that name," and he has reached three-score and ten, 
after honorable service in the Civil War, and thrilling 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

adventures in the extreme West. Lest some of our 
readers, in expectation of fine sport and buoyed also by 
dreams of well-filled game bags, set out on some aus- 
picious morning for the "Hammock," the writer will 
promptly inform them that it was long since filled in. 
Its location, however, and the location of the miniature 
island once rising in its centre, upon which Samuel 
Ford's shop was situated, are still discoverable. 

While engaged in his counterfeiting business at the 
"Hammock," Ford was in the habit of leaving his 
home at daylight each morning with gun over his 
shoulder, as if starting out on a hunting expedition. 
His real objective, however, was the little shop on the 
Hammock Island, where he was wont to attend to his 
"money-making affair." In order to reach this shop it 
was necessary for him to crawl on his hands and knees, 
a portion of the way at least. Owing to his reputation 
in the neighborhood for idleness, his peculiar course of 
life aroused no suspicion. The one unaccountable thing 
in connection with his life which impressed his neigh- 
bors was the fact, that a man with no ostensible means 
of livelihood, save a few acres of swamp land, could 
dress well, live well and always have plenty of money. 
Doubtless Ford could have solved the knotty problem 
for his wondering neighbors had he been so disposed ; 
that he was not disposed was undoubtedly owing to pru- 
dential considerations. There is evidence, which can- 
not, the writer believes, be gainsaid, that Ford's coun- 
terfeiting shop was visited, once at least, by Thomas 
Kinney, of Morristown, who was subsequently the 

123 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

sheriff of Morris County. Mr. Kinney's visit (or vis- 
its?) to the counterfeiting establishment of Samuel 
Ford, was not, of course, generally known at the time. 
It is not improbable, and this opinion is not expressed 
save as the result of thorough and impartial investiga- 
tion, that other men of prominence in Morristown and 
Morris County (the mention of whose names even sug- 
gestively might produce at least a mild sensation) vis- 
ited the little shop on the "Hammock" while hunting 
ducks or other more precious game, perchance. 

In the year 1768 — it was probably during his resi- 
dence near the "Hammock" — Ford, on the night of July 
21, with the aid of accomplices, robbed the treasury 
of East Jersey, then situated at Perth Amboy, the ac- 
count of which follows : In the office adjoining the 
sleeping-room of Mr. Skinner, the treasurer, was an 
iron chest containing the provincial funds then in his 
custody. It was the purpose of Samuel Ford and his 
accomplices — comprising, according to seemingly reli- 
able evidence, three soldiers employed as guards on the 
premises — to carry off this chest and afterward open 
it and secure its contents. If this failed, the robbers 
were to take the key to the iron chest from Mr. Skinner. 
The desperate character of this robbery, as deliberately 
planned by the perpetrators, may be inferred from the 
fact that it was resolved that, if necessary to the suc- 
cess of their undertaking, Mr. Skinner, the treasurer, 
or any other person obstructing the execution of their 
plans, should be murdered. It was also mutually agreed 
that if the prospective robbers were suspected, or dis- 

124 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

covered, and brought to trial, they should turn "King's 
evidence" and endeavor to implicate Mr. Skinner as an 
accomplice in the crime. The penalty for the contem- 
plated crime was, at the time, death by hanging; and 
when one of the gang, apparently more humane than 
the rest, expressed his disapproval of trying to impli- 
cate the treasurer, Samuel Ford exclaimed : "No, 
d — n him, he will only be condemned ; he has friends 
enough to save him from the gallows." 

Finding that the iron chest containing the coveted 
money was too heavy and too large to carry off, the 
robbers concluded to open it on the premises, and then 
and there rifle its contents. This was accomplished 
by means of an old rusty and cast-off key, accidentally 
found in the drawer of an old desk which the robbers 
had broken open, in the expectation of finding money. 
The key in use for opening the iron chest was in the 
room occupied by Mr. Skinner, presumably somewhere 
about the clothing he had laid aside for the night. It 
is the opinion of not a few persons familiar with the 
details of this crime, that the accidental finding of the 
cast-off key to the iron chest containing the provincial 
funds, was the means of preserving the life of the sleep- 
ing treasurer, who, upon awakening, would not have 
given up the key to the iron chest without a struggle for 
its possession, which would almost certainly have re- 
sulted in his death at the hands of four desperate rob- 
bers, three of whom had basely betrayed the trust of 
guardianship reposed in them by the treasurer. But, 
by the aid of the old key the iron chest was opened, and 

125 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

its contents secured and carried off by the robbers. It 
is safe to assume that of the sum secured, £6,570, 9s, 
4d, in bills and coin — Samuel Ford received the lion's 
share. The three soldiers were doubtless suitably re- 
warded for the valuable assistance rendered by them. 

Benjamin Cooper, Samuel Ford's former partner in 
the iron industry at Hibernia, received, as he subse- 
quently acknowledged, £300 of these ill-gotten gains. 
But why should Benjamin Cooper receive a portion of 
the fruits of this daring robbery if he had not been a 
partner, either active or silent, in the crime whose pen- 
alty was death by hanging? Or, did he receive it as 
"hush money ?" That other persons in Morris County, 
one at least of the number a Morristonian, were con- 
nected directly or indirectly with the robbery of the 
treasury at Perth Amboy and shared in the ill-gotten 
gains, there is in the mind of the writer scarcely a 
doubt. One, as we have seen, confessed to having re- 
ceived a portion of this stolen money ; but how many 
more did not make a confession? Let us find the an- 
swer to this query in the words : 

"Justice is passionless and therefore sure; 
Guilt for a while may flourish; virtue sink 
'Neath the shade of calumny and ill; justice 
At last, like the bright sun, shall break majestic forth, 
The shield of innocence, the guard of truth." 

The failure of the provincial authorities to discover 
the perpetrators of the Perth Amboy robbery, in close 
connection therewith, is a sufficient explanation of the 

126 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

fact that Ford and his accomplices in the crime were 
unapprehended, and the circumstances of this highly 
sensational occurrence were not made public until sev- 
eral years afterward under the shadow of the scaf- 
fold. 

There is some evidence that soon after the Perth 
Amboy robbery, Ford made a second trip across the 
Atlantic, going this time to England. No account of 
the particulars of this second transatlantic trip, how- 
ever, so far as the writer is aware, has descended to 
us. 

Early in the year 1773, large quantities of counterfeit 
money, consisting of bills of credit and coin, were found 
to be in circulation in the New Jersey province. By 
reason of a combination of circumstances, which will 
now be particularized, suspicion was at length fastened 
upon Samuel Ford, Jr., as the person chiefly respon- 
sible for this alarming state of affairs. On the six- 
teenth day of July, in the year 1773, therefore, he was 
arrested and placed in the Morris County Jail on the 
Green. It will be remembered that the Morris County 
Courthouse, a portion of which was used as a jail, was 
at the time mentioned a one-story structure, with the 
large, old-fashioned open fire-place and immense chim- 
ney, spoken of in connection with the account of Uriah 
Brown's mysterious nocturnal escapes. Simultane- 
ously, or nearly so, with the arrest of Ford, several oth- 
er persons were also arrested on suspicion of having 
been identified with him in the manufacture and circu- 
lation of counterfeit money. Their names were Benja- 

127 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

min Cooper, of Hibernia ; Dr. Bern Budd, of Morris- 
town ; Samuel Haynes and one Ayers, both of Sussex 
County, and David Reynolds, a native presumably, of 
the Emerald Isle — an Irishman certainly. These were 
likewise lodged in the jail on the Green. If the arm 
of the law had been long enough and strong enough, 
doubtless this quintet of suspects would have been con- 
siderably swelled, but — well, the words following have, 
at least, some measure of application to this case : 

Laws are like spider webs, small flies are ta'en, 
While greater flies break in and out again — and some flies 
that ought to be in, never get in. 

One of the most unfortunate features of this coun- 
terfeiting affair is the fact, that most of the persons 
implicated and arrested were well connected, and some 
at least of them moved in the best society of the day. 

On the night of his arrest, or on the day following, 
Ford escaped from the county jail. That he was aided 
in effecting his escape was the common opinion of the 
day ; and that one John King, who seems to have been 
at the time under-sheriff, or jailer, at the Morris County 
Jail, was Ford's confederate in the occurrence, was also 
the prevalent opinion. Certain it is that in the month 
of February following, Deputy Sheriff King was cited 
before the Privy Council of New Jersey. Nor was 
the sheriff of Morris County at the time, Thomas Kin- 
ney, free of suspicion, as a confederate of Ford, in 
effecting his prompt escape from the old, one-story jail 
on the Green. In this connection one can scarcely avoid 

128 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

the conclusion that Samuel Ford did not have to climb 
up chimney to make his escape. Subsequent develop- 
ments, as will be seen, more than confirmed the grounds 
of suspicion that Sheriff Kinney had a hand in Ford's 
escape, and it would be gratifying to the writer to be 
able to say, or to think, that the developments above 
suggested do not encourage the belief that Sheriff 
Kinney, as an individual, had also been an accomplice, 
silent, it is true, with Ford, in his long-continued coun- 
terfeiting operations. Ford might have been captured, 
after his escape from the Morris County Jail, but for 
the circumstances about to be related. He made his 
escape on July 16 or 17, 1773. For more than a month 
thereafter it was quite generally known that he was se- 
creted in the near vicinity of Morristown. In this 
knowledge, it is practically certain, the High Sheriff 
of Morris County, shared. On August 5 — nearly three 
weeks, it will be noted, after Ford's slick escape — 
Sheriff Kinney publicly offered a reward for the appre- 
hension of the escaped counterfeiter. Not until the 
month of September, did the Pennsylvania Gazette be- 
gin to publish items concerning the pursuit of Ford, 
and the same periodical did not get the Governor's 
proclamation for publication, until December 1, 1773. 
But we will now 

Search not to find what lies too deeply hid, 
Nor to know things where knowledge is forbid. 

Ford, after his escape from jail, fled to a lonely spot 
on the mountains in the vicinity of Hibernia, where he 

129 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

had once been engaged in the iron industry. Here he 
secreted himself in a deserted colliery cabin known as 
"Smultz's Cabin," and here we will for the present 
leave him, where, quoting the apt lines of Longfellow : 

The leaves of memory seem to make 
A mournful rustling in the dark. 

At a special session of the Court of Oyer and Ter- 
miner of Morris County, held on the fourth of August, 
in the year 1773, a preliminary examination of wit- 
nesses was conducted. The evidence then and there 
adduced against the persons confined in the county jail, 
for alleged complicity with Ford in his counterfeiting 
operations, was such that their trial and conviction be- 
came a foregone conclusion. In view of this latter fact, 
presumably, Benjamin Cooper, one of the prisoners, on 
the fourteenth day of the month last named, made a 
partial confession. This he was moved to do in the 
hope of a mitigation of his evidently anticipated punish- 
ment. A second confession, by another prisoner, pre- 
sumably Dr. Bern Budd, included a complete and ex- 
plicit account of all the details of the "money-making" 
scheme. There is evidence which indicates that this lat- 
ter confession was suppressed. It is a matter of record 
that "In 1773, Lord Stirling complained that Samuel 
Tuttle and Colonel Samuel Ogden had acted in an un- 
fair and partial manner 'in taking the examinations and 
depositions of several witnesses of and concerning sev- 
eral criminal matters,' inquired into by them as Judges 
of the Morris County Court of Oyer and Terminer ; he 

130 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

also charged that they had 'suppressed the testimony of 
some material witnesses (in connection with the Ford 
counterfeiting operations?) for bringing certain crim- 
inals to Justice.' These charges being made to the 
Council of the Province, Col. Ogden in behalf of him- 
self and Judge Tuthill demanded an inquiry. But Lord 
Stirling withdrew the charges, and the matter was 
dropped." These confessions led to an examination 
of the shop on the "Hammock," where a press and 
plates for printing the bills, not only of New Jersey, but 
of Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York, were 
found. A quantity of type and other material used in 
the counterfeiting business, as also a leather wrapper 
in which the false bills were kept, were among the fruits 
of the raid on the ''Hammock." 

After Ford's flight from New Jersey, and settlement 
elsewhere, of which an account will, in due course, be 
given, his former home near the scene of his criminal 
operations was purchased by Sheriff Robertson. While 
subsequently repairing the house, counterfeiters' tools 
were found secreted in the walls. 

On the nineteenth of August, in the year 1773, the 
trial of Cooper, Budd, Haynes and Reynolds was begun 
in the Morris County Court ; Ayers was tried and con- 
victed in Sussex County. The Morris County Court 
room was crowded during the trial, by an eager and 
sympathetic throng, nearly every one of whom was re- 
lated, in some way, to the prisoners who were being 
tried for their lives. To the indictment found against 
them, each prisoner pleaded guilty, and they were sen- 

131 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

tenced to be hanged on the seventeenth of the month fol- 
lowing. One of the judges of the court which had 
tried and sentenced these men, was the father of Benja- 
min Cooper. The writer has seen the statement that 
the sentences were passed upon the prisoners in the 
"meeting-house," by which is doubtless meant the 
Presbyterian meeting-house. It is said that when Mrs. 
Budd heard of the sentence of her husband, she started 
at once for Perth Amboy, where, on her knees before 
the Governor, she pleaded for her husband's pardon, 
with what effect, however, is not known. Quite differ- 
ent was the deportment of Dr. Budd's mother, a woman 
of extraordinary dignity and stateliness. When she 
witnessed the grief of her daughter-in-law, she re- 
marked, by way of reproof : "He has broken the laws of 
the land, and it is just that he should suffer by them."' 
Mrs. Budd, the doctor's mother, was, however, a kind- 
hearted, sympathetic woman. The day fixed for the 
execution of the sentenced criminals arrived. The 
scaffold had been carefully erected on the Green. Over 
the business of executing four men Sheriff Kinney is 
said to have been greatly excited — so excited, indeed, 
as to be almost beside himself. But before he was re- 
quired to perform the dreaded execution, an order 
arrived at Morristown, from Governor Franklin to 
remand Budd and Cooper and Haynes to jail. Rey- 
nolds, however, the least guilty of the number, for lack 
of "friends at court," was executed on the day set — 
September 17. The fellow-Irishman upon whose tes- 
imony Reynolds was arrested shed bitter tears of re- 

132 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

gret when he was informed of the sentence of his 
acquaintance. To the last moment Reynolds protested 
his innocence. Among the witnesses of the execution 
of Reynolds was David Gordon, a nephew of Sheriff 
Kinney. From Rev. Dr. Joseph F. Tuttle, the follow- 
ing is quoted : 

"My aged friend, Mr. Gordon (the Gordon above men- 
tioned), says he remembers that Reynolds, one of the four 
condemned counterfeiters, protested to the last his inno- 
cence. He admitted that it was right that he should die, for 
he had done many things worthy of death. One of his great 
crimes as rehearsed on the scaffold, and only one made an 
impression on Mr. Gordon's mind. With much feeling, Rey- 
nolds recurred to his boyhood. His grandmother sent him 
to procure her some snuff. He performed the errand, but 
only expended a part of her money, as she ordered. With 
the rest he procured some cake or candy for himself. He 
said that dishonest act had distressed him greatly, and if 
guilty of no other crime, for this he ought to die. 'But as 
for the indictment on which I am convicted and sentenced 
I am entirely innocent.' " 

Mr. Gordon informed Dr. Tuttle that the scaffold 
on which Reynolds was executed was erected "im- 
mediately in front of the courthouse," by which, as 
the present writer believes, he means, on the side of the 
court house nearest the Presbyterian Church. Inas- 
much as, at the period under consideration, there was 
a road on the easterly side of the courthouse, it is easy 
to conceive that by "immediately in front of the court- 
house," Mr. Gordon refers to what was really the rear 
of that structure. That the scaffold was erected lit- 

i33 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

erally in front of the courthouse would mean that it 
was erected in the public highway ; for the courthouse, 
as a matter of fact, fronted on what was then known 
as Court Street, a narrow road to the westward of 
the courthouse. An examination of the map made in 
the year 1777, by order of Washington, will confirm the 
view above stated. Another incident related by Mr. 
Gordon is given in the words of Dr. Tuttle : 

"It seems that (just previous to the hour fixed for the 
executions) a son of the Sheriff, a lad of some ten or twelve 
years of age, and himself (Mr. Gordon), forgetful of the 
dreadful nature of the business in hand, were indulging 
themselves in some athletic sport. Mrs. Kinney called her 
son into the house, and rebuking him for his shameless lev- 
ity at such a time, severely chastised him. The sheriff com- 
ing up just at that moment, nervous and agitated with the 
hanging business, seized the boy by the arm, and called out 
spitefully: 'Why don't you put it on him?' His wife verywise- 
ly concluded, that however well calculated he might be in 
that mental agitation to hang four men, he was not at all 
fitted to advise concerning the whipping ot one boy, and 
she forthwith desisted. As for Mr. Gordon, he thought the 
Sheriff would be at him next, and he was greatly frightened 
about it." 

In the month of December, 1773, after several res- 
pites, Governor Franklin granted a complete pardon 
to Budd, Cooper and Haynes. 

Such was Dr. Budd's reputation for skill in his 
profession, that notwithstanding his conviction and 
sentence for crime he promptly resumed his practise 
in Morristown. One of the first patients he was called 

134 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

to attend was a woman who was supposed to be near 
the end of her life. Dr. Budd had scarcely crossed the 
threshold of the sick room, when the woman sum- 
moned sufficient strength to inquire, with unaffected 
simplicity: "How did you kind of feel, doctor, when 
you came so near being hanged?" Turning with a 
smile, and a blush to her husband, the doctor remarked : 
"Well, well, I guess your wife has a fair chance to re- 
cover." 

About the middle of September, 1773, after Samuel 
Ford had been in hiding for nearly two months 
Sheriff Kinney repaired quietly to Rockaway (it was 
on Sunday), where he leisurely summoned a posse for 
the pursuit of the escaped counterfeiter. Kinney, ap- 
parently for the purpose of making a showing of earn- 
estness, pressed into service as a guide Abraham 
Kitchel, a brother of Samuel Ford's wife, Grace. 

Kitchel, while the posse was on its way to Hibernia, 
remarked to Sheriff Kinney : "I know where Ford is, 
and will take you to the spot, but you know you dare 
not, for your own sake, arrest him." This remark has 
but a single meaning, which our readers will not be 
slow in discovering. A boy — James Kitchel, son of 
Abraham — upon seeing the sheriff arrest his father 
as a guide to Ford's hiding place, was so frightened, 
that he started on a run for home ; but on the way he 
stopped at the house of Joseph Herriman long 
enough to tell him of the occurrences of the morning. 
Herriman at once threw off his coat, and ran at the 
top of his speed by a short cut to "Smultz's Cabin," and 

i35 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

notified Ford of his peril. When Sheriff Kinney and 
his posse, reached the cabin, Ford was gone. As the 
posse entered the doubly deserted cabin, Abraham 
Kitchel remarked to Kinney : "There, sheriff, is where 
Ford has been secreted, and you would rather give your 
horse, saddle and bridle than to find him here now." 

By the Privy Council of New Jersey Sheriff Kinney 
was subsequently declared "blameable for negligence 
in his office, respecting the escape of Ford;" and the 
same body advised the Governor "to prosecute the 
said indictment at the next court." But the writer 
has neither seen nor heard of any record of his trial. 
A well known, and much read poet, has said : "Where 
there is a mystery, it is generally supposed that there 
must also be evil." That there is mystery, on the sur- 
face, at least, in the failure of the county officials, "to 
prosecute the said indictment at the next court," must 
be patent to all readers of this story. 

Ford fled southward, paying his way with money of 
his own manufacture. He settled among the moun- 
tains of Green Brier County, Va., now a part of West 
Virginia, where he assumed the name of Baldwin, his 
mother's maiden name. There, with a partner, he en- 
gaged in the business of a silversmith. During a serious 
illness, when death was anticipated, he made a full 
confession of his former crimes to his partner's wife. 
Upon his recovery and after the decease of his part- 
ner, he married the widow. He acquired considera- 
ble property. Several children were the result of 
his latest matrimonial venture. The Virginia Bald- 

136 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

wins, who became prominent in State affairs, may have 
been descendants of the man who is said to have "left 
his country for his country's good." 

When the whereabouts of Ford became known to 
the New Jersey authorities he was, legally speaking, 
beyond the reach of the law, so far as arrest for the 
robbery of the treasury at Perth Amboy was concerned ; 
owing to the fact that he had left the province before 
the confessions of his accomplices had been made. He 
was visited, after the lapse of a few years, by his eld- 
est son by Grace Kitchel. The young man's name was 
William. He was accompanied by Stephen Halsey, 
who subsequently married one of William's sisters. 
To these visitors Samuel Ford appeared to be in a most 
melancholy frame of mind. He professed repentance 
for his past sins, and declared his intentions to lead a 
good life. To New Jersey he never returned. When 
informed of the confessions of Budd, Cooper and 
Haynes, in which they declared him to be the prime 
mover of the Perth Amboy robbery, Ford strenuously 
denied it. In a letter to Benjamin Cooper, written 
while he was in hiding near Hibernia, he berated him 
for his "atrocious falsehood" in charging him with the 
robbery of the provincial treasury, and added: "You 
describe me as being the chiefest promoter and first 
introducer of the money-making affair," by which he 
means the counterfeiting operations. He continues : 
"Did you not in the time of our depressed circum- 
stances at the furnace (Hibernia) first move such a 
scheme to me ?" 

i37 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Ford's property at the "Hammock." what little there 
was left, was sold by Sheriff Kinney even to a tin cup 
containing milk for the babe. During- the sale, Ford's 
son (probably William), said to the sheriff: "I have 
seen you in my father's shop." Dr. Joseph F. Tuttle's 
"The Early History of Morris County, New Jersey," 
in connection with his statements of the career of 
Samuel Ford, Jr., says : "And I cannot refrain from 
expressing the feeling, which an examination of all the 
accessible records, as well as traditions, leave on my 
mind, that whilst Samuel Ford was a great villain, he 
was acting his villainy in very respectable company, a 
part of which did not get to court and scaffold, as 
some others did." And finally, quotes the present 
writer : 

"Good nature and good sense must ever join; 
To err is human, to forgive, divine." 




138 




CHAPTER VIII 

"Slaves, who once conceived the glowing thought 
Of freedom, in that hope itself possess 
All that the contest calls for;— spirit, strength, 
The scorn of danger, and united hearts, 
The surest presage of the good they seek." 

OR nearly a score of years prior to the 
commencement of the Revolution, 
the policy of Great Britain, with re- 
spect to the American colonies, had 
been anything but just. During the 
period mentioned there were en- 
acted by the British Parliament no 
less than twenty-nine laws in restriction of infant col- 
onial industries. The mere mention of a few of these 
laws, as illustrative of the blind tyranny of the mother 
country, makes them, in the light of the twentieth cen- 
tury, appear little less than ludicrous. Among them 
were the prohibition of the use of waterfalls, of the 
setting up of machinery for manufacturing purposes, 
such as looms and spindles, and of working of iron 



'%fiM 


§2§ 


«5LVJ 




F 





139 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

and wood in certain forms specified. Markets for 
boards and fish were shut out, sugar and molasses, 
and the American vessels in which they were carried, 
were seized, and the King's arrow was set upon trees 
which were afterward permitted to rot in the forests. 
In short, the attempt was made to prevent trade of any 
sort by the American colonies with any country, ex- 
cept above it floated the British flag. 

To a few of the acts of the British Parliament thus, 
in a general way, alluded to, it seems desirable to refer 
specifically, and by name. And first, to what are known 
as the 'navigation acts,' passed in the years 1761 and 
1766, which forbade colonial trade with England, and 
with English colonies, except in English vessels. The 
restrictions of these laws were made still closer by 
the subsequent enactment of further laws of a similar 
character. The American colonies should produce 
commodities which could not be produced in the mother 
country and which the mother country needed, the 
colonies should consume what the mother country 
had to sell ; they should never be competitors 
with the mother country, and should trade with no 
other nation — such, in brief, was the British idea of 
her colonies, and of their mutual obligations. Great 
Britain was willing to purchase from her American 
colonies tobacco and naval stores, for these she was 
herself unprepared to produce. As soon, however, as 
the colonists on this side of the Atlantic, embarked in 
the manufacture of woolen goods, they were at once 
forbidden to export the wool, or the goods, into which 

140 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

it was made, from one colony to another. When the 
colonists began to manufacture hats, the exportation 
of this commodity from one colony to another was per- 
emptorily forbidden, and by promptly enacted laws 
an attempt was made to limit the number of apprentices 
to hatters. Even the slow growth of the iron industry 
in the American colonies, excited alarm among the iron 
manufacturers of Great Britain. This resulted in the 
enactment of a law permitting pig iron and bar iron to 
be imported into Great Britain free of duty; but the 
same law sought to prohibit the erection of mills for 
the manufacture of slitted iron, or rolled iron, or any 
plating forge in which a tilt-hammer (trip-hammer 
is the more common name in America) should be 
used, or any furnace for the making of steel. An at- 
tempt was made in the British House of Commons to 
abolish mills existing at the time of the above-named 
enactment, but by a small majority this failed. The 
supply of a neighborhood with the coarser articles, 
was deemed by the mother country the limit of the 
endeavor of colonial manufacturers. 

One of the most obnoxious features of the navigation 
act was what were known as "writs of assistance," con- 
ferring authority to employ British ships and officers 
and seamen in the capacity of custom-house officers 
and informers. It became lawful, therefore, for the 
commanders of British armed vessels to stop and ex- 
amine any merchant vessel approaching the American 
shores, and upon suspicion alone to seize such vessels 
in the name of the King. These "writs of assistance" 

141 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

were really search warrants, without the mention of 
name or place, and, armed with these, the holders 
thereof could seize merchant vessels, and break open 
stores and private dwellings, in search of goods on 
which it had been suspected the duty had not been 
paid. This was a clear violation of the principle that 
"the Englishman's house is his castle," which the 
American colonists had been taught to believe by their 
mother across the sea. To the execution of the "writs 
of assistance" there was the most earnest resistance 
on the part of the American colonists. Remonstrances 
forwarded to the King were unavailing. Leading 
American merchants united in the adoption of a reso- 
lution to import no more British goods until the laws 
above mentioned should be repealed. While the right 
of the British Parliament to enact laws with regard 
to commerce between the mother country and the 
American colonies, and the right, therefore to lay du- 
ties on imported goods, was admitted, it was also rec- 
ognized that if, without their consent, any species of 
direct tax could be laid on the colonies, they would be 
at the mercy of King George III. The principle of no 
taxation without representation could, therefore, as the 
American colonies clearly perceived, have no exceptions 
whatever, and to this they faithfully adhered. 

'Tis true that during the French and Indian wars 
the navigation acts, and the law authorizing the writs 
of assistance, were not very strictly enforced, and as 
a consequence, between the American colonies and the 
West Indies, a trade far from insignificant was quietly 

142 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

developed. Dried fish and lumber were taken to the 
West Indies, and large quantities of sugar and rum, 
and of molasses, from which New England rum was 
made, were brought back, and this trade became lucra- 
tive. 

At the close of the French and Indian wars, in the 
year 1763, waged for supremacy in America, Great 
Britain was confronted with an accumulated national 
debt of nearly one and a half billions of dollars. In 
her extremity — for such an enormous debt presented 
an alarming state of affairs, before which British 
statesmanship might well stand appalled — she very nat- 
urally looked to the American colonies for aid toward 
the liquidation of this immense indebtedness. This aid 
the mother country would doubtless have been granted 
but for the stubborn insistence upon her inherent right 
to lay upon the American colonies a direct tax, 
as a partial means of raising the money needed toward 
the liquidation of the national debt. The children on 
this side the Atlantic would have counted it a pleasure 
to come voluntarily, or upon request, to the aid of 
their beloved mother, despite the facts that they had 
already contributed their full share toward the prose- 
cution of the wars so recently terminated, and that 
the mother country had also reaped her full share of 
the advantageous termination of those wars. 

But the attempt to force aid from the American col- 
onies, by the laying of a direct tax, while they were 
stubbornly refused representation in the British Par- 
liament, was stoutly resisted by them. When, there- 

i43 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

fore, the news of the enactment by the British Par- 
liament, in the year 1765, of the "stamp act" reached 
America, the indignation of the colonists knew no 
bounds. The provisions of this act required that 
stamps, to be furnished by the British Government, and 
paid for by the colonists, should be affixed to all deeds, 
bonds, warrants, notes and similar instruments, and 
upon newspapers, almanacs and other printed matter. 
"Caeser had his Brutus, Charles the First his Crom- 
well, and George the Third may profit by their ex- 
ample," were the words of young Patrick Henry in the 
Legislature of Virginia when the news of the enact- 
ment of the "stamp act" reached that body. They 
were thrilling words — words interrupted during their 
eloquent utterance by the shout of "Treason !" — first, 
by a single listener, and then from every portion of the 
House of Burgesses, in which this remarkable scene 
occurred. But the speaker did not for a moment falter ; 
instead, he closed with the exclamation : "If this be 
treason, make the most of it !" 

The more formidable opposition manifested in the 
Massachusetts Assembly to the "stamp act," took the 
form of a recommendation of a Colonial Congress, 
which was subsequently held in New York, representa- 
tives from nine colonies being present. A declaration 
of rights, a petition to the King and a memorial to Par- 
liament were, after mature deliberation, adopted. In all 
parts of the American colonies the resistance to the 
enforcement of the "stamp act" was most earnest, and 
assumed various forms. A single instance only of indi- 

144 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

vidual resistance to the enforcement of his odious act 
can be given. This was the case of William Winds, 
of Morris County, New Jersey. He was a justice of the 
peace, residing in Rockaway. His commission had been 
granted by the King. He regarded the "stamp act," 
however, as a species of oppression, and bravely re- 
solved to disregard it. This he did by substituting 
white birch bark, on which he wrote warrants, writs, 
bonds, executions and other legal instruments, for the 
ready stamped paper furnished by the King. And 
such was the commanding influence of Squire Winds, 
that no officer of the law in the county of Morris was 
ever known to decline serving his legal instruments 
inscribed on white birch bark. This was nullification 
in good earnest, and it has no parallel, all the circum- 
stances considered, so far as the writer is aware, as 
an example of individual resistance to the unjust en- 
actment of a powerful but tyrannical government. The 
repeal of the odious "stamp act," in the year 1766, was 
but a postponement of the armed revolt of the Ameri- 
can colonies then brewing, and which occurred a few 
years later. 

The enactment of the law, in the year 1767, requiring 
duties on glass, paper, painters' colors and tea, coupled 
with the persistent claim of the British Parliament of 
the inherent right to tax the American colonies, led to 
the formation of non-importation associations. With 
the exception of a duty of three pence per pound on tea, 
the act of the year 1767 was revoked ; but, inasmuch as 
the people were not contending against the amount of 

i45 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

taxes imposed, but against the principle of "taxation 
without representation," the concession was far from 
satisfactory. The story of the tea shipped to New York 
and Philadelphia, being sent back by the same vessel 
that brought it; of that shipped to Charleston, S. C, 
being stored in damp cellars, where it spoiled, and par- 
ticularly of that shipped to Boston, being thrown over- 
hoard — 342 chests was the quantity ; of the passage of 
the "Boston port bill," as a punishment to Bostonians, 
and the sympathetic contributions of necessaries to their 
sufferings, on the part of sister colonies ; of Lexington 
and Concord and Machias Bay, and other intervening 
events — these are too familiar to require more than 
casual mention in this story of Morristown's first cen- 
tury. Such casual mention of the causes of the Revolu- 
tion as has been made, seemed to be necessary, as a most 
fitting prelude to the relation of the important part 
borne by Morristown, New Jersey, in the seven-years' 
war for American independence. 

At the commencement of the Revolution, the village 
of Morristown contained not far from 250 inhabitants. 
From this it will be seen that during the sixty-five years 
since its settlement, its growth had been slow. But in 
this regard it was no exception to other towns in the 
colony — Newark, for example. This latter town was 
settled nearly half a century before Morristown, and 
yet, when the Revolution began, the town's population 
was but about 1,000. It would not be difficult to dis- 
cover the causes of the slow growth of these, and other 
portions of New Jersey during the period mentioned. 

146 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Outside of the village of Morristown was a some- 
what populous farming district. The village itself was 
chiefly grouped about what has been known as the 
Green ; but as regards its area, as well also as its ap- 
pearance, the Green of Revolutionary days was very 
different from the Green of the year 1905. The Morris- 
town Green of the present day contains about two and 
a half acres of land, and is finely graded, and laid out in 
excellent paved walks. During the season of vegetation 
it is carpeted with a handsome green lawn, which is 
kept clean and well mown. When the Revolution com- 
menced, what had for many years been called, some- 
times "the Green," sometimes "the meeting-house 
land," and sometimes "the parsonage land," each term 
having reference to the- same tract of land, 
contained many acres. It extended at one time as far 
southeast as the present Pine street, as far north as 
Spring street, and perhaps farther, and as far southwest 
as Maple avenue, or even beyond. We leave our read- 
ers to judge of the appearance of a portion of the 
Green of the period under consideration, from the map 
which appears in this volume. It is true this map was 
made, under Washington's supervision, in the year 
1777, while the Continental army was encamped the 
first time in Morristown ; but the map is nevertheless 
an accurate representation, so far as it is possible for 
a map to be a representation of such a tract of land, of 
the Green and of the buildings around it, as they ap- 
peared at the commencement of the Revolution. The 
irregular contour of the central portion of the Green, 

147 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

as it appeared in Revolutionary days, cannot escape 
the reader's notice. The road running through it from 
the head of the road coming up the hill from the east 
(now Morris street), and passing into the Jockey Hol- 
low road on the west (now Washington street), will 
also be noticed. Not only irregularity of shape marked 
the Green as to its contour, but its surface was also 
irregular. As late as about the year 1840, there was a 
deep depression near the centre of the tract, resembling, 
in form, an upturned bowl ; and the writer has been 
informed by a gentleman now nearly eighty-five years 
of age, that the latter, when a boy, had seen seven feet 
of water in this bowl, and in this body of water he had 
many times taken a bath. 

The writer has been asked how the First Presbyte- 
rian Church, of Morristown, came into the possession 
of the large and extensive tracts of land which it once 
owned. The present opportunity is improved in the 
attempt to answer this very natural query, by saying 
that, some time prior to the year 1740, Jonathan Linds- 
ley and Benjamin Hathaway gave to the church a piece 
of land for a parsonage and burying ground ; suitable 
reference has already been made to this timely gift. On 
this tract of land the original house of worship was 
erected, about the year 1740. A few years later Joseph 
Prudden deeded to the church a larger tract of land, 
including what is now the Green. In the year 1773 
the church purchased of Shadrach Hathaway a large 
tract of land, which may have been situated at a con- 
siderable distance from the meeting-house. Again, in 

148 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

the year 1774, the church made a second purchase of 
land of Charles Howell. This was situated on the 
southwest side of the Green, between the present Mar- 
ket and Bank streets, and extended down nearly, if not 
quite, to the present Maple avenue. This purchase 
was made for the purpose of enlarging the parade 
ground, or of having a suitable parade ground, since 
the tract of land now known as the Green was not, in 
consequence of its shape and the irregularity of its sur- 
face, suitable for that purpose. This last purchase 
seems to have been made in anticipation of the neces- 
sity of organizing and training men for participation in 
impending war. The large tracts of land once owned 
by the First Presbyterian Church were gradually sold 
off in lots, until its possession consisted of the burying 
ground, the land ocupied by the house of worship and 
the parsonage, and the two and a half acres contained 
in what is now known as the Green. 

Of some of the more important buildings grouped 
around the Green at the commencement of the Revolu- 
tion, we shall have occasion to speak at a later stage 
of our story. For the present, however, let us turn for 
a few moments to the consideration of the stirring local 
incidents and scenes immediately preceding the com- 
mencement of the seven years' struggle for indepen- 
dence. 

Among the members of the New Jersey House of 
Assembly, of the year 1772, from Morris County, were 
Jacob Ford and William Winds, the former a resident 
of Morristown ; both of whom had freely imbibed the 

149 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

spirit of protest against the encroachments of Great 
Britain upon the rights and liberties of the American 
colonies. 

At the session of the House of Assembly, held on the 
eighth day of February, in the year 1774, a standing 
committee of nine members was appointed, and desig- 
nated as the Committee of Correspondence. This com- 
mittee was instructed to inform the House of Assembly 
of the other twelve colonies of their appointment. 

To Essex County, New Jersey, must be accorded 
the honor of having held the first popular meeting on 
behalf of the movement of protest against the tyranny 
of the mother country, already inaugurated in some of 
the progressive colonies. This meeting was held in 
Newark, on the eleventh day of June, in the year 1774, 
when resolutions were adopted requesting the other 
counties of the province to hold similar meetings, at 
which county committees should be appointed to meet 
in a State convention, to elect delegates to a general 
convention, or congress. The call for the meeting of 
this general congress had already been isued, and Sep- 
tember 5, of the year 1774, was the date fixed upon, 
and Philadelphia the place of meeting. The object of 
this general congress was the formulation of a general 
plan of union among the thirteen colonies. To such a 
plan, when it should be adopted, the inhabitants of 
Essex County, at the meeting of June 11, pledged their 
support and adherence. All honor to the brave stand 
taken by those patriotic Newarkers ! 

The ripeness of the people of New Jersey for the 
150 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

movement of united action against the tyrannous policy 
of Great Britain toward the American colonies, was 
unmistakably evidenced by the fact of the prompt and 
general response to the request to send delegates to 
the Provincial Congress. Morris County's response 
was given on the twenty-seventh day of June in the year 
1774, when a popular meeting was held in Morristown, 
in the courthouse on the Green ; this was the one-story 
structure erected in the year 1770. The chairman of 
this initial meeting of the freeholders and inhabitants 
of Morris County, was Jacob Ford. The resolutions 
adopted breathed a spirit of wisdom seldom surpassed 
in the deliberations of popular gatherings. Of these 
resolutions, too lengthy for complete reproduction here, 
only a resume can be given. Expressions of loyalty 
to the King of Great Britain were given. Willingness 
to be governed by British laws, so far as such obedi- 
ence was consistent with constitutional liberty, was 
also expressed, and so was the opinion as to the unwis- 
dom of the acts of the British Parliament, imposing 
revenue taxes upon the colonies. The resolutions also 
expressed sympathy with Boston in her sufferings in 
consequence of unjust restrictions upon her commerce. 
In them there were also expressions of confidence in the 
efficacy of unanimity and firmness, on the part of the 
colonies, for the preservation of their rights and liber- 
ties ; of confidence also in the efficacy of reliance upon 
home productions as a means to the end above men- 
tioned ; of readiness to join with other counties of 
the New Jersey Province in the endeavor to form a 

151 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

General Congress of the thirteen colonies ; of opinion 
as to the propriety of contributing to the relief of Bos- 
ton ; of purpose to adhere faithfully to the regulations 
and restrictions deemed expedient by the General Con- 
gress, and opinion as to the expediency of unity of 
action on the part of the New Jersey county commit- 
tees in Provincial Congress assembled, in the appoint- 
ment of deputies to the General Congress of the follow- 
ing September. 

The committee for Morris County, appointed at the 
meeting of June 27, in the year 1774, in the court- 
house on the Morristown Green, for the purposes above 
mentioned, was as follows : Jacob Ford, William 
Winds, Abraham Ogden, William De Hart, Samuel 
Tuthill, Jonathan Stiles, John Carle, Philip V. Cort- 
land and Samuel Ogden. These gentlemen represented 
various portions of the county, in which they were recog- 
nized as leaders in the affairs of their respective sec- 
tions. 

Only to such members of this committee as were resi- 
dents of Morristown, can brief allusion here be made. 
Concerning Jacob Ford, no little has already been said 
in connection with the account of the settlement and 
growth of Morristown. There is one fact, however, 
which deserves mention here ; a fact which augments 
the significance of his appointment to the important 
committee just mentioned. He was, at the time of his 
appointment, an old man, and might justly have de- 
clined to assume the grave and arduous responsibilities 
placed upon him by his fellow-citizens. Owing to his 

152 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

advanced age. he had for some time been gradually 
transferring the responsibilities of his private business 
interests to his son and namesake, the latter of whom 
was also beginning to occupy his aged father's place in 
the confidence and affections of the people of Morris- 
town, and Morris County. But Jacob Ford was too 
keenly alive to the exigencies of the hour to permit even 
the growing infirmities of old age to deter him from 
participating, up to the full measure of his ability, in the 
revolt against the long series of tyrannous aggressions 
of the mother country upon the liberties of the Ameri- 
can colonists. As a man of business, and more espe- 
cially as an extensive manufacturer of iron, his griev- 
ance against the policy of the mother country was not 
alone sentimental, it was decidedly practical, also, 
since his material interests were seriously involved. 

William De Hart was a young Morristown lawyer, 
at the time of his appointment to the Morris County 
Committee of Correspondence and Consultation, and he 
brought to the momentous task assigned him, the 
vigor and enthusiasm of youth; as well, also, as the 
legal acumen which could be advantageously utilized 
in the adjustment of difficulties involving questions of 
law. He was at the time under consideration, but twen- 
ty-eight years of age, having been licensed as a coun- 
selor-at-law only about three years previously. As the 
opportunity will not again occur to speak further con- 
cerning this young patriot, it should here be said that 
subsequently to the stirring meeting held in the old 
courthouse, on the twenty-seventh day of June of the 

153 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

year preceding the opening of the Revolution, William 
De Hart became a major in the First Battalion, first 
and second establishments, and later, lieutenant-colonel 
of the Second Regiment of the Continental Army. Nor 
should the writer omit mentioning the fact, that two 
of the sons of Matthias De Hart, M. D., the father of 
Colonel William De Hart, were slain during the strug- 
gle for American independence. One of the streets 
of the Morristown of the year 1905, bears the name 
of the young resident lawyer of Revolutionary days, 
who rendered faithful service in the cause of freedom. 
He died on the sixteenth day of June, in the year 1801, 
and his remains now lie in the burying grounds of the 
First Presbyterian Church of the town he assisted in 
making famous. The other members of this committee 
of correspondence and consultation, who were residents 
of Morristown, were Jonathan Stiles, Jr., and Samuel 
Tuthill. Mr. Stiles was at the time of his appointment 
one of the county judges. He had previously held the 
office of sheriff of Morris County. During the Revo- 
lution he seems to have served as a recruiting officer, 
and mention is made of his having paid bounties to 
soldiers. 

Samuel Tuthill is by name, no stranger to the readers 
of our story, nor are they wholly unaware of his public 
career as a county judge and sheriff. It may be added, 
however, to what has already been said, that he was a 
son-in-law of Jacob Ford, Sr., having married on the 
third day of November, in the year 1751, Sarah Kenny, 
widow of John Kenny, and daughter of the elder 
Ford. 

i54 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

On the twenty-first day of July, in the year 1774, the 
New Jersey county committees met at New Brunswick, 
when five delegates were appointed to the General Con- 
gress to be held in Philadelphia, in the coming Septem- 
ber. It is only for the purpose of connecting the Gen- 
eral Congress, so far as its proceedings are concerned, 
with the subsequent course of New Jersey, but particu- 
larly of Morris County and Morristown, in their rela- 
tion to said proceedings, that anything more than a 
casual reference is made to the meeting in Philadelphia. 
Pursuant to call, the General Congress of the American 
colonies met in Philadelphia, on the fifth day of Sep- 
tember, in the year 1774. Peyton Randolph, of Vir- 
ginia, was chosen president of the Congress. Among 
the delegates were Washington, Patrick Henry and 
John Adams. We would fain linger in the attempt to 
speak at length upon the superb personnel of this, one 
of the most important public gatherings of history ; 
but this would be inconsistent with the main purpose 
of our story. It can only be said that various resolu- 
tions were presented, which opened the way, and fur- 
nished the inspiration, also, for the free and general 
interchange of views, which followed, upon the grave 
questions then agitating the minds and hearts of the 
American colonists. The unanimity of sentiment there 
manifested amply warranted the resolution recommend- 
ing the call for a second General Congress, to be held 
on the tenth day of May of the following year — 1775. 

Pursuant to a call issued by the Morris County Com- 
mittee of Correspondence, a second meeting of the 

i55 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

inhabitants of the county was held in Morristown (and 
almost certainly in the courthouse on the Green) on 
the ninth day of January, in the year 1775. The object 
of this meeting was the indorsement of the action of the 
General Congress of the preceding September. Of this 
meeting William Winds was the chairman. The County 
Committee of Correspondence read the proceedings of 
the General Congress at Philadelphia, after which they 
were carefully considered by the people assembled, and 
unanimously approved. The means and methods of 
resistance to the tyrannical and oppressive acts of the 
British Parliament, recommended by the General Con- 
gress, were declared wise, prudent and constitutional. 
It was also unanimously resolved to abide strictly by 
these recommendations. 

A vote of thanks was extended to the delegates of the 
New Jersey province for the faithful manner in which 
they had looked after the rights and liberties of their 
constituents, and discharged the important trust reposed 
in them. The inhabitants of each township in the 
county, were unanimously recommended by the meet- 
ing to elect, on the twenty-third day of the current 
month, a committee of observation, in accordance with 
the recommendation of the General Congress. The 
County Committee of Correspondence voluntarily dis- 
solved itself, to afford their constituents the opportunity 
of a new choice. The committee, as reappointed, was 
composed as follows : Jacob Ford, William Winds, 
Jonathan Stiles, Jacob Drake, Peter Dickerson, Ellis 
Cook, Samuel Tuthill, Dr. William Hart and Abraham 

156 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Ogden. John Carle and Philip Van Cortland, were for 
some reason, left off the new committee, and Jacob 
Drake and Peter Dickerson substituted. This commit- 
tee was authorized to instruct the Morris County rep- 
resentatives, in General Assembly convened, to join 
in the appointment of delegates to the General Con- 
gress, called to meet in Philadelphia in May following. 
If such delegates should not be appointed by the Gen- 
eral Assembly, the several county committees in joint 
meeting were to make the appointments. , 

James Rivington, a printer in New York, was 
declared to be, in the judgment of the meeting, an 
enemy to his country, as indicated by the publication of 
certain pamphlets, the effect of whose teachings was 
to encourage submission to the tyrannous policy of the 
mother country. To make use of a modern term, 
James Rivington was "boycotted" by the people of 
Morris County ; they would refrain from subscribing 
for his papers, and by all lawful means discourage oth- 
ers from doing so. The nails in the timbers of the Old 
Morris County Jail, driven in thickly to hinder the 
escape of prisoners by cutting out, doubtless rattled in 
their holes by reason of the vociferous cheering and 
other demonstrations of enthusiasm, of the people 
assembled in the old courthouse on the occasions to 
which reference has been made. At one public meeting 
of the patriots of Morris County, held in Morristown, 
some of Rivington's pamphlets and papers were con- 
signed to the flames "before the courthouse, with the 
universal approbation of a numerous concourse of peo- 

i57 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

pie." One of his publications, at another meeting, was 
given a coat of tar and feathers, and the pamphlet in 
"its gorgeous attire," was nailed firmly to the pillory 
post on the Green, "there to remain as a monument of 
the indignation of a free and loyal people against the 
author and vendor of a publication so evidently tending 
both to subvert the liberties of America and the consti- 
tution of the British Empire." 

It was at this latter meeting that one of those who 
joined in the work of applying the coat of tar and 
feathers to Rivington's publication, wished — and the 
wish was unanimous — that the author himself were 
present, that he might be fitted with a similar suit. 

Concerning Peter Dickerson, one of the new members 
added at the above-mentioned meeting, to the Morris 
County Committee of Correspondence, there is much 
to be said — most of which, however, will be said at a 
later stage of our story. 

With the exception of Hanover Township, there is no 
record, so far as the writer is aware, of the names of 
the gentlemen appointed to serve on the township com- 
mittees of observation, as recommended by the meet- 
ing of January 9, in the year 1775. It is known, how- 
ever, that these committees, elected on the twenty-third 
day of January, in the year last mentioned, were active 
and alert in the procurement of signatures of inhab- 
itants of Morris County, who pledged themselves to 
sustain the Provincial and General Congresses ; and 
the voters for representatives to the Provincial Con- 
gress to meet in the coming May at Trenton, were to 

158 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

consist of those whose signatures were procured. The 
lines must be tightened. 

Pursuant to a call issued by the Morris County Com- 
mittee of Correspondence a meeting of the inhabitants 
of the county was held on the first day of May, in the 
vear 1775, in Morristown, and presumably in the court- 
house. The chairman of this meeting was Jacob Ford, 
and the clerk William De Hart. In consequence of the 
sifting process to which allusion has been made, this 
meeting was composed of the cream of Morris County's 
inhabitants, so far as loyalty to the growing cause of 
freedom was concerned. To look in upon the throng 
of ardent patriots who filled the quaint courthouse of 
those stirring times, is a privilege which, except in 
imagination, is denied the present generation. The 
meager account of the proceedings of the meeting of 
May 1, in the year 1775, which has descended to us, 
furnishes a brilliant illustration, if the personnel and 
action of the meeting is the criterion, of the saying of 
Emerson, that "every great and commanding movement 
in the annals of the world is the triumph of enthu- 
siasm." 




iS9 




CHAPTER IX 

"War is honorable 
In those who do their native rights maintain, 
In those whose swords an iron barrier are 
Between the lawless spoiler and the weak." 




HEN the news of the encounter of the 
American colonists with the British 
regulars on the Lexington Green, 
and at the Concord bridge, reached 
New Jersey, the people were at 
once aroused to the highest pitch of 
righteous indignation. War be- 
tween the colonies and the mother country had actually 
commenced, and the colonists were not slow in recog- 
nizing the necessity of prompt and energetic action in 
the work of preparation for the impending struggle. 
They were soon, as in due time will be seen, to verify 
the words : 

True courage scorns 

To vent her prowess in a storm of words, 
And to the valiant action speaks alone. 
160 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Enough is known concerning the proceedings of the 
public meeting of May I, in the year 1775, to which 
allusion was made in the preceding chapter, to author- 
ize the statement that nine delegates were chosen as rep- 
resentatives of Morris County, in the important work 
of devising means and methods of preparation for the 
struggle for liberty which was then inevitable. These 
delegates were also, in accordance with instructions, to 
meet in the Provincial Congress, to be held at Tren- 
ton, on the twenty-third day of May, approaching. 
William Winds, of Pequannock Township; William 
De Hart, of Morristown ; Silas Condict, of Morris- 
town ; Peter Dickerson, of Morristown ; Jacob Drake, 
of Drakesville; Ellis Cook, of Hanover Township; 
Jonathan Stiles, of Morristown ; David Thompson, of 
Mendham, and Abraham Kitchel, of Pequannock 
Township, were the delegates chosen. 

The rapid progress made in the movement of revolt 
against the tyranny of the mother country, and in prep- 
aration for the impending struggle, may be seen in the 
fact that these delegates, four of whom were residents 
of the county seat, were vested, by the people legally 
assembled, with the power of legislation on behalf of 
the county of Morris and of the Province of New Jer- 
sey, also. They were specifically authorized to raise 
men, money and arms for the defense, primarily, of the 
county, but also of any portion of the province or the 
colonies in which their service might in future be re- 
quired. Power was conferred upon them to devise 
ways and means for raising, appointing and paying the 

161 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

men and their officers, necessary for defense. Their ac- 
tion, however, was to be subject to the control and di- 
rection of the Provincial and General, or Continental, 
Congresses. In this circumstance we see how clearly 
the people of Morris County realized the necessity of 
unanimity of action in the struugle which lay before 
them. When these delegates should have made pro- 
visions for the proper defense of the county, they were 
afterward to meet in the Provincial Congress, already 
called to assemble at Trenton, on the twenty- third day 
of May, where, with such other counties as should join 
with them, they were to levy taxes upon the province as 
a means of providing for the common defense. These 
delegates from the various counties of the New Jersey 
Province were to be vested with legislative authority, 
and if the exigencies of the hour required it, this 
authority was to be properly exercised. A still further 
evidence of the generally recognized need of unanimity 
of action, may be seen in the explicit understanding that 
the action of the Provincial Congress should be subject 
to the control and direction of the General, or Conti- 
nental, Congress. 

The initiative taken by the inhabitants of Morris 
County, in the meeting of May i, in the year 1775, for 
the defense of the county against possible invasion, and 
for providing for the common defense, furnishes a fine 
illustration of the sturdy independence of the portion 
of the inhabitants who then dominated county affairs, 
and makes their New England origin and training to 
stand out in bold relief. The men of Morris County 

162 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

who dominated, by the influence of their character, the 
series of public meetings held in Morristown, prelim- 
inary to the commencement of the Revolution, as well 
also as during its progress, were, for the most part, at 
least, of the same stock as Samuel Adams and John 
Hancock and Joseph Warren, of Boston, and others in 
the Massachusetts Province whose names cannot, for 
lack of space, be mentioned; and they were as richly 
imbued with the spirit of freedom as the patriots who, 
on the green at Lexington, and at the bridge at Con- 
cord, faced the flower of the British army on the eigh- 
teenth and nineteenth days of April (preceding the pub- 
lic meeting in Morristown last mentioned), where were 
fired "the shots heard round the world." 

On the same day of the above mentioned meeting, 
but apparently at a later hour, and perhaps after its 
adjournment, a meeting of the delegates already named 
was held at Dickerson's, sometimes improperly called 
Norris's, tavern, on what is now Spring street, at the 
corner of Water street. The picture of this famous 
building, as it appeared in Revolutionary days, which 
may be seen in this volume, was sketched from a de- 
scription given by a lady who, as a child, had for sev- 
eral years played about the building, and who was, 
therefore, so familiar with its general appearance, inte- 
rior and exterior, as to be able to remember even the 
peculiarity of the old-fashioned knocker on the front 
door (with a bell attached), as well also as the loca- 
tion of the principal rooms inside. 



163 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

At the meeting held in Dickerson's tavern there were 
present, William Winds, Silas Condict, Peter Dicker- 
son (the owner and proprietor of the tavern), Jacob 
Drake, Ellis Cook, Jonathan Stiles, David Thompson 
and Abraham Kitchel. The only chosen delegate ab- 
sent was William De Hart, and the presumption is that 
his clerical duties in connection with the public meet- 
ing of the inhabitants of the county, on the same day, 
detained him. William Winds was chairman of the 
meeting, and Archibald Dallas clerk. The proceedings 
of this meeting strongly impress the careful observer 
with the fearless initiative of its members ; and the 
hand of the bold William Winds, of Pequannock Town- 
ship, who had served in the French and Indian wars, is 
plainly visible, even to him who runs, in the signifi- 
cant action then taken. Preliminary to the more im- 
portant business to be transacted, it was first resolved 
that any five of the delegates chosen, should constitute 
a quorum at subsequent meetings, and that of these five 
delegates three should constitute a majority, or con- 
trolling vote, in the transaction of such business as 
might come before them. The next action of this meet- 
ing makes one's blood tingle with unalloyed admiration 
as he carefully considers it. It was resolved, and unan- 
imously, that military forces should be raised for the 
pending struggle with the mother country. Of each 
of those eight delegates who assumed, on behalf of 
Morris County, the grave responsibilities implied by 
their heroic resolution, it may be said, and truly : 



164 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

He holds no parley with unmanly fears, 

Where duty bids he confident steers, 

Faces a thousand dangers at her call, 

And, trusting to his God, surmounts them all. 

After the deliberate adoption of the resolution alluded 
to, the meeting was adjourned until the following day, 
at 9 o'clock in the morning, at the same place. If the 
action of the first meeting was of a general and prelim- 
inary character, that of May 2 was sufficiently definite 
and progressive to satisfy the most exacting. With 
their lives, not in their hands, as it is so frequently 
phrased, but in their votes, these delegates resolved 
that 300 volunteers be recruited for the defense of the 
county of Morris against invasion by former friends, 
now transformed into foes. What strikes one the more 
forcibly, as he contemplates the fearless initiative of 
these American colonists up among the beautiful hills 
of Morris County, is the fact that, while they were for- 
mulating and casting their votes for the prompt recruit- 
ing of volunteers, an army of British regulars occupied 
Boston, and ample reinforcements from Great Britain 
were even then contemplated. 

The 300 volunteers to be recruited, so it was voted, 
were to be divided into companies of sixty men each; 
each company, except the two first, to be officered by a 
captain and two lieutenants ; the two first companies 
to be commanded by field officers. These field officers, 
as named at the meeting under consideration, were to 
be Colonel William Winds and Major William 
De Hart. The captains of the three remaining com- 

165 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

panies, as named at the same meeting, were to be Sam- 
uel Ball, Joseph Morris and Daniel Budd. John Hunt- 
ington was to be captain-lieutenant in Colonel Wind's 
company, and Silas Howell captain-lieutenant in Ma- 
jor De Hart's company. These companies, it was or- 
dered, were to be disciplined or trained one day each 
week, the time and place of training to be determined 
by the respective commanding officers. Nor was pro- 
vision for the supply of the sinews of war neglected, 
for it was voted that the pay of captains should be seven 
shillings, proclamation money, per day; of first lieu- 
tenants, six shillings per day; of second lieutenants, 
five shillings per day ; of sergeants, three shillings and 
six pence per day, and of private men, three shillings 
per day, with provisions furnished, also arms and am- 
munition. These wages were to be paid every two 
months. 

It was very evident, from the action of the meeting 
in Dickerson's tavern, that hitherto peaceful Morris- 
town was soon to assume a decidedly warlike aspect. 
The land which seems to have been purchased the year 
preceding, for the enlargement of the village parade 
ground, was by no means, as daily developments were 
demonstrating, a premature movement. The quiet 
hamlet grouped mainly around the Green, which had 
known no disturbing sounds, save the melodious clang 
of the imported church bell, were ere long to resound 
with the stirring notes of martial music, and the steady 
tramp of soldiery. Before the lapse of many months, 
the horrors of actual war would be realized, in forms 

166 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

never dreamed of by their heart-rended witnesses; 
but the veil must not be further lifted. It is enough to 
know the future when it shall have become the present, 
with its weal or with its woe, with its victory or with 
its defeat, with its exultation or with its depression. 

It should not be forgotten that at the commencement 
of the Revolution, the inhabitants of Morris County 
were, with few exceptions, in anything but a prosper- 
ous condition. British oppressions, long continued, had 
slackened the wheels of industry and partially para- 
lyzed agriculture. The financial obligations assumed 
by the people, in connection with the inauguration and 
prosecution of the revolt against the mother country, 
therefore, greatly enhanced the value of the inflexible 
determination with which they grappled with the her- 
culean task confronting them. The significance of their 
action was this : that at all hazards the revolt against 
persistent tyranny and oppression must be prosecuted, 
even to the expenditure of the last dollar they were 
worth, or to the sacrifice of the last man among them. 

One of the most interesting features of the second 
meeting at Dickerson's tavern, was the vote passed to 
purchase 500 pounds of powder, and a ton of lead, to be 
kept in a magazine for the use of the regiment of 300 
men soon to be organized. It would be gratifying to 
the student of local history to know where this maga- 
zine was situated. Inasmuch as Major William De 
Hart was appointed to make the purchase of the pow- 
der and lead in question, it is not improbable that the 
magazine was somewhere on his premises, near the 

167 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

corner of the present De Hart and South streets. Re- 
alizing, no doubt, that the action of the two meetings at 
Dickerson's tavern was, in a sense, premature (as, in- 
deed, it was), and recognizing also the possibility that 
this action might be modified, or even wholly set aside, 
by the Provincial and General Congresses soon to con- 
vene, it was wisely provided by supplementary vote 
that the resolutions and votes of these meetings should 
be considered subject to the control and direction of the 
last mentioned bodies, and, that after due notice from 
them, any portion of the action disapproved, should be 
reconsidered and adjusted to the wishes of the higher 
authorities. The exigencies of the hour being fully 
realized, the possibility of an invasion of Morris County 
by British forces in the near future, was a matter re- 
quiring prompt attention; hence, by way of provision 
against such a contingency, it was by vote recom- 
mended that the inhabitants of the county, capable of 
bearing arms, who should not become identified with 
the regiment to be raised, provide themselves with 
arms and ammunition for self-defense. The meeting 
was then adjourned till May 9 at 9 o'clock in the morn- 
ing at Dickerson's tavern. 

"To hallow'd duty- 
Here with a loyal and heroic heart, 
Bind we our lives.'' 

If ever these words were applicable to living men, it 
was to the eight sturdy Morris County patriots whose 

168 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

action at the famous hostelry "under the hill," on behalf 
of their constituents, has just been reviewed. 

Let us pause here and briefly examine the personnel 
of the meeting- adjourned from Captain Peter Dicker- 
son's tavern, where, on behalf of Morris County, the 
gauntlet had been bravely thrown down to a powerful 
government, with a well disciplined army, and a navy 
amply equal to its support. We must, however, of ne- 
cessity, confine ourselves to those individuals compos- 
ing the meeting, whose place of residence was Morris- 
town. Of Major William De Hart we have already 
spoken, and of Jonathan Stiles we have spoken also. 
Silas Condict shall, therefore, first engage our atten- 
tion. He was the son of Peter Condict, who died in the 
year 1768, and whose remains now lie in the burying 
grounds of the First Presbyterian Church of Morris- 
town. 

Silas Condict was born in Morristown, in the year 
1738. He was, through his father, of Welsh descent. 
At the age of five years he began attending the district 
school, after leaving which he continued to study 
under his own tutorship. Mr. Condict could, therefore, 
justly have claimed to be self-educated. In addition to 
following agricultural pursuits, he engaged during the 
greater part of his life, in surveying. For this avoca- 
tion he fitted himself. When a young man, Mr. Condict, 
in compliance with the wishes of several young men in 
the vicinity of his house, opened a night school. Some 
of his pupils were disposed to be disorderly ; indeed, 
they attempted to have "a little fun" in school. The 

169 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

teacher firmly insisted upon having order, and reminded 
the disorderly pupils that it was for their benefit the 
school had been opened. This had the desired effect, 
and thereafter order reigned in the school. This inci- 
dent is related as an illustration of the strength of char- 
acter with which Mr. Condict was endowed, and which, 
with other qualifications, made him one of the most 
valuable men in the State of New Jersey, particularly 
in connection with the Revolution. For his first wife he 
married Phebe Day, daughter of Captain Samuel Day. 
One child, Elizabeth Phebe, was the result of this 
union. She married James Cook, and, like her mother, 
dying in early life, she left one child, Elizabeth. Upon 
the death of her mother, Elizabeth was taken into the 
family of Silas Condict, and by him and Mrs. Condict 
was tenderly reared, and trained in genuine Christian 
fashion. This daughter, upon reaching maturity, mar- 
ried General Joseph Cutler, one of whose sons was the 
late Hon. Augustus W. Cutler, of Morristown. The 
Augustus W. Cutler farm included a portion of 
the land consisting of several hundred acres, form- 
erly owned by Silas Condict. Mr. Condict's second 
wife was Abigail, the daughter of Ebenezer Byram, who 
was a descendant of John Alden, who came over in the 
Mayflower. In the year 1772, Silas Condict was 
elected trustee of the Morristown Presbyterian Church, 
and as clerk of the board of trustees, and as a member 
of several important committees, he exhibited business 
capacity, sagacity and sound judgment, which rendered 
his services to that organization invaluable. In the 

170 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

year 1774, he was directed by the board of trustees of 
the Presbyterian Church to make a trip to Perth Am- 
boy, where he was to have the society's charter re- 
corded ; and he was also requested to make a copy of 
the charter for common use as a means of preserving 
in good condition the original. Mr. Condict also served 
for several years as president of the above mentioned 
board of trustees. In the more public affairs of Morris- 
town, Morris County, New Jersey, and the American 
colonies in general, he was prominent and highly influ- 
ential. In addition to his services as one of the Morris 
County delegates, chosen at the public meeting of May 
1, in the year 1775, he was a member of the State 
Council of New Jersey from the year 1776 till the year 
1780. From the year 1781 till the year 1784 he was a 
member of the Continental Congress. From the year 
1 79 1 till the year 1800, two years excepted, he was a 
member of the State Legislature, and during three con- 
secutive sessions — those of 1792, 1793, 1794, he was 
Speaker of the House. In the year 1797 he was again 
reelected to the Speakership of the same body. 

Twice he was appointed one of the judges of the 
county court. In the work of drafting the first State 
consittution he served on the committee appointed for 
that purpose. "In whatever position he was placed he 
secured that loving respect, that great confidence, which 
could only be rendered to one who had the rare com- 
bination in his nature of the greatest integrity, of true 
justice, of kindness of heart, of an intuitive perception 
of right and wrong, and of an inherent judgment of 

171 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

human nature" — such is the most fitting- tribute by one 
amply qualified to speak of the Hon. Silas Condict. The 
writer would fain linger upon the further contemplation 
of the excellencies of such a character, but this cannot 
consistently be done. 

Peter Dickerson was the son of Thomas Dickerson, 
and was born at Southold, Long Island, (northeastern 
end) in the year 1724. He came to New Jersey during 
the year 1745, settling in Morris County. In the same 
year he married, for his first wife, Ruth, the daughter 
of Joseph Coe, Sr. Jonathan Dickerson, one of the 
eight children by the above mentioned marriage, was 
the father of Mahlon Dickerson, who was Governor 
of New Jersey. For his second wife, Peter Dickerson 
married, in the year 1763, Sarah A., the widow of 
"John Oharrow ;" as a result of this union there were 
four children born to them. Peter Dickerson was an 
ardent patriot, and his tavern was, from the commence- 
ment of the difficulties with the mother country, one 
of the popular rendezvous of those of kindred senti- 
ments. So far as extant historical records indicate, he 
first came into public notice in connection with his ap- 
pointment, on May 1, in the year 1775, as one of the 
Morris County delegates. His presence at the meetings 
of the Morris County delegates, held in the Dickerson 
tavern, on May 1 and May 2 of the above mentioned 
year, has already been noted. Although no record of 
the adjourned meeting of the above mentioned dele- 
gates, to be held on May 9, and at the place last named, 
has, so far as the writer is aware, come down to the 

172 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

present century, it is safe to say that Captain Peter 
Dickerson was one of the active participants in its im- 
portant proceedings. Of his presence at a meeting of 
the county committee held at his tavern on the four- 
teenth day of September, 1775, there is no question, 
since it is a matter of record. The business transacted 
was of vital importance. In the year 1776, he was a 
member of the Provincial Congress. Nothing, perhaps, 
more amply justifies the application of the term "ardent 
patriot" to Captain Dickerson, than the well-known fact 
that he personally bore the entire expense of the equip- 
ment of the company commanded by him in the open- 
ing years of the Revolution — it was the Fifth Company, 
Third Battalion, and first establishment of the Con- 
tinental army. The amount advanced by Captain Dick- 
erson for the purpose mentioned, which was never re- 
paid by the government, now stands to his credit at the 
National Capital. Captain Dickerson's popularity as a 
military officer may be inferred from the fact that 
when, near the close of the year 1776, many men whose 
term of enlistment had expired, declined to reenlist, 
his company seems to have reenlisted in a body. While 
it would be inconsistent with the main purpose of our 
story to devote further space to the public career of 
Captain Peter Dickerson, we shall be justified in giving, 
at a later stage of this history, no little attention to the 
famous tavern of which he was the owner and proprie- 
tor. 

It has previously been remarked that the resolutions 
of the Morris County delegates at Dickerson's tavern, 

i73 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

on May I and May 2, in the year 1775, in regard to the 
raising - , equipping and training of men, was in a sense 
premature. In confirmation of this remark it may be 
said that it was not till the third day of June following, 
that the Provincial Congress made provisions for the 
regulation of the militia. But the proceedings of the 
two meetings mentioned, received virtual indorsement 
by the direction of the Provincial Congress of June 3, 
in the year 1775, that "where companies and regi- 
ments were already formed and officers chosen and ap- 
pointed, the same were to be continued." 

"To obey our officers in such service as they shall ap- 
point us, agreeable to the rules and orders of the Pro- 
vincial Congress" — such was the promise made by the 
300 volunteers recruited in Morris County, in accord- 
ance with the action of the meetings held in Morristown 
at Dickerson's tavern, on the first and second days of 
May, of the eventful year of 1775. 




i74 




CHAPTER X 




"To do is to succeed — our fight 

Is wag'd in Heaven's approving sight — 

The smile of God is victory." 

XCEPT by the application of some 
mechanical force, "water has never 
been known to run up hill," and so 
obviously true is this saying that it 
may well be considered an axiom, 
which term by the lexicographer is 
defined as "a self-evident and 
necessary truth, or a proposition whose truth is so evi- 
dent at first sight that no process of reasoning or dem- 
onstration can make it plainer." There is one thing, 
however, which possesses the inherent force enabling it 
to ascend even a hill, and an almost perpendicular one 
at that ; the allusion here made is to the warlike spirit. 
Of this our readers are about to witness a most interest- 
ing illustration. 

The series of truly stirring meetings of the Morris 
County delegates, held on the first, second and ninth 

i75 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

days of the month of May, in the year 1775, at Dicker- 
son's tavern, "under the hill," had scarcely closed, ere 
an independent company of mounted soldiery, which 
was subsequently to become famous in State history, 
was organized, as the writer surmises, somewhere in 
the vicinity of the Morristown Green ; and as the writer 
also conjectures, at the Arnold tavern, situated on the 
northwest side of this tract of land, with only a narrow 
country road running between. 

"We the subscribers do voluntarily inlist ourselves in the 
company of Light Horse belonging to the county of Morris, 
Thomas Kinney, Esq., captain, and do promise to obey our 
officers in such service as they shall appoint, as agreeable to 
the rules of the Provincial and Continental Congress. Wit- 
ness our hands May 10th, 1775. Jacob Arnold, James Searing, 
Epenetus Beach, James Smith, Silas Stiles, Patrick Darcy, 
John Lasey, Benjamin Freeman, Jr., Samuel Allen, Stephen 
Baldwin, Elijah Freeman, Daniel Edmiston, John Crane, 
Adam Bests, Conrad hapler, John Mintus, Jacber Beach, 
George harah, Silas Hand, John Tichener, John Vanwinker, 
Aaron Parson, Robert Gould, Jr., James Ford, Samuel Den- 
man, Peter Parset, George Minthorn, John Cooke, Samuel 
Boldsbury, John Milen, Abraham Hathaway, Saml. Wigton." 

The enlistment paper just given, is copied ver- 
batim from originals brought from Virginia ; and with 
other papers are now known as the "Boteler Papers." 

The sense of propriety, of which ex-Sheriff Kinney 
could not have been wholly devoid, forbids the thought 
that he could have been the draftsman of the enlistment 
roll of which the foregoing is a faithful transcript; 
since to have deliberately written himself down (as- 

176 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

suming the roll to have been the product of his own 
hand) as "Thomas Kinney, Esq.," would have consti- 
tuted a notorious example of egotism. From the 
peculiar phraseology of a portion of a paper written 
by Colonel Jacob Arnold, in the year 1788, and bearing 
his bold signature, a facsimile of which paper is now in 
the possession of the writer, the latter ventures to in- 
fer that the enlistment roll in question was drawn up 
by none other than Jacob Arnold; and the mere cir- 
cumstance of his name being the first in the list of 
subscribers is in no small measure corroborative of the 
opinion just expressed. The writer is also of the opin- 
ion that this enlistment roll, so fortunately preserved 
was for a time at least kept at the tavern, in Morris- 
town, then kept by "Thomas Kinney, Esq.," and at that 
prominent public rendezvous received many and pos- 
sibly all of the signatures which appear upon it. 

It is a matter of no small interest that of the thirty- 
two signatures appearing upon this enlistment roll, 
twelve at least, or about thirty per cent., were of 
residents of Morristown. And of scarcely less interest 
is the fact, that the average age of the twelve residents 
of Morristown alluded to, was but about twenty-six 
years. If the average age of the remaining persons 
whose names are on the roll was about the same, the 
Light Horse Troop must have been a youthful and de- 
cidedly energetic body. 

To the original number of recruits, as already given, 
many others were subsequently added, among whom 
only the following names, so far as the writer is aware, 

177 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

have come down to us : John Blowers, Ephraim Carnes, 
J. C. Canfield, Josiah Butler, John Canfield, John Ester 
and Jacob Johnson. 

The Rev. Baker Johnson, of Wisconsin, is one of the 
authorities for the statement that Jacob Johnson his 
paternal grandfather was a member of Arnold's Light 
Horse Troop. He also states that while serving with 
this Troop he contracted the disease which terminated 
his life. From an article which appeared in the New 
York Observer several years ago, written by the Rev. 
Dr. Joseph Tuttle, the following extracts will give our 
readers additional information concerning Jacob John- 
son: 

"On Morris Plains, three miles from Morristown, when 
the Revolutionary war began, lived a very respectable farmer 
in good circumstances named Jacob Johnson. He was very 
fond of good horses, one of which he rode in Captain Jacob 
Arnold's troop of light horse, a company which rendered 
invaluable service to their country. * * * Mr. Johnson was 
on duty a very considerable portion of the time till the year 
1779, when hardship and exposure brought on consumption. 
His great business then was to prepare for death, in which 
duty Pastor Johnes rendered him unwearied assistance. Mah- 
lon Johnson, a son of the sick man, and who yet survives at 
the venerable age of fourscore, remembers Dr. Johnes — how 
often he visited his father, how long he tarried, how earnestly 
he instructed, and how earnestly he prayed, until the dying 
soldier was ready to say: 'Lord, now lettest thou thy servant 
depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen my salvation.' 
Indeed, Dr. Johnes must have been a model pastor, in his 
dignified yet winning demeanor. * * * In visiting Jacob 
Johnson, Dr. Johnes sought also the salvation of his wife, so 

1/8 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

soon to be a widow. Anna Vail was a Quakeress, but the 
Spirit blessed the pastor's counsels and example, and the 
dying husband's quiet resignation, so that she, too, became 
partaker of the same grace, and not long after her husband's 
death Dr. Johnes had a meeting at her house, when she pre- 
sented all her children to be baptized. Surely the pastor's 
reward is seen in the fact that Mahlon, the oldest of those 
children, still speaks of the pastor's gentle fervor, as he not 
only baptized him, but besought the Lord to be a father to 
these fatherless ones. 

"Mr. Johnson died on the twenty-fifth day of April, in the 
year 1780, and his funeral drew together a great concourse of 
people. The son to whom reference has been made remem- 
bers that in the long procession which followed the remains 
of his father to the Morristown graveyard, there was only 
one vehicle on wheels, and this was used for carrying the 
corpse. Dr. Johnes and the attending physician, each with a 
linen scarf around the shoulders, according to the custom of 
the times, led the procession on horseback. The simplicity 
of the scene stands in singular contrast with the pomp and 
circumstance of a funeral in our day." 

Three sons of Henry Wick, the owner of the exten- 
sive Wick farm, situated on the Jockey Hollow road, are 
said by some writers of local history to have belonged 
to this now famous company of soldiery. A recent 
author, however, says that "the John, William and 
Moses Wick, who are mentioned as serving in the Light 
Horse, were probably relatives of the family, living 
in Hanover," It is a most interesting fact, apparently 
corroborative of the opinion expressed by this author, 
that in the issue of The New Jersey Gazette, of Oc- 
tober 28, in the year 1778, there appeared an adver- 
tisement offering for sale by "John and William Wick," 

179 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

a "farm and cyder mill in Hanover." Moses Wick, 
according to a census of the freeholders, or property 
holders of Morris County, taken in the year 1776 was 
also a resident of Hanover Township at that time. 

From the enlistment roll we have learned that the 
first captain of this independent company of "Light 
Horse" was Thomas Kinney, ex-sheriff of Morris 
County, who is no stranger to our readers. 

While in command of the Light Horse Troop, Cap- 
tain Kinney with his company, escorted Governor Wil- 
liam Franklin, the notorious royalist, to Connecticut, 
where, in accordance with instructions, he deliv- 
ered him into the hands of Governor Trumbull for 
safe keeping. For this hazardous service Captain 
Kinney was suitably rewarded by the provincial au- 
thorities. The sum received was "105 pounds, one 
shilling and seven pence for himself and guard." After 
the resignation of Captain Kinney, which seems to have 
taken place soon after its organization, Jacob Arnold 
was appointed to the command of the Light Horse 
Troop, which thereafter became known as "Arnold's 
Light Horse Troop." 

Besides other arms, each member of Arnold's Troop 
carried a spear, or pike (either term seems to be ap- 
plicable) similar to that once borne by English heavy 
armed troops. This spear was about five feet in length. 
It consisted of a steel spearhead about eight inches in 
length and two in width at the widest part, with a cut- 
ting edge on one end, and at the other end a pointed 
steel ferrule about four inches in length. The body 

180 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

of the spear consisted of a smooth round oak stick, 
about an inch and a quarter in diameter. This weapon 
was carried, when not in use in action, on the right 
side of the mounted trooper. The pointed ferrule at 
the lower end of the weapon rested in an iron socket, 
firmly attached to the stirrup strap, the upper end of the 
spear being supported by a strap, which passed around 
the right arm thus leaving this arm free for use in 
driving, or in handling other weapons. When used in 
close action this spear was a most effective weapon, 
and, wielded by young men, must have been greatly 
dreaded by the enemy. When about twenty years ago, 
the Arnold tavern was moved from its original site, on 
the northwest side of the Green, to make way for the 
erection of a more modern structure, (the Hoffman 
building), one of these spears was found in the cellar. 
It was subsequently loaned by the late Joseph R. Hoff- 
man, M. D., to the Washington Association, and is 
now in the highly valuable collection to be seen at the 
'"Headquarters." Each member of Arnold's Light 
Horse Troop was required to furnish his own horse 
and equipments. The troop, as we are reliably in- 
formed, was seldom all together, but were usually di- 
vided into details of from two to twelve men, or even 
more sometimes, and were employed as videttes, or 
mounted sentinels, to watch the movements of the 
British forces, to convey intelligence of such movements 
to headquarters and to carry orders. Whenever the 
entire troop was together it was for the purposes of 
training and discipline ; or, in case of alarm from the 

181 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

apprehended approach of the enemy in force. They 
were in continuous service during the Revolution. The 
State infantry, on the other hand, performed duty by 
what was known as "monthly turns." A portion at 
least of this troop performed service at different times 
at Millstone, Second River, on Raritan River, at 
Springfield, Connecticut Farms, Elizabethtown (fre- 
quently), Newark and Aquacknunk. 

In the battles of Springfield and Monmouth, this 
ubiquitous troop seems to have been represented. A 
portion of it must also have been at Hackensack, since 
it is a matter of record that one of its members as he 
himself afterward declared, "had like to have been 
taken prisoner near a British fort" in the vicinity. In 
"Genealogical Notes, &c," collected by Lewis Condict, 
M. D., now known as the "Condict Papers," is the fol- 
lowing entry : "In John Esler's witness for John Blow- 
ers, he says, John Canfield was with Blowers and Es- 
ler at New York and Amboy ;" from which it is a fair 
inference that a portion of Arnold's Light Horse Troop 
performed service at New York and Amboy, during 
the Revolution. 

When General Charles Lee was captured in White's 
tavern at Basking Ridge, the Arnold Troop lay at 
Morristown, in a body. The messenger who brought 
the intelligence of Lee's capture to the county seat rode 
a horse which, it was ascertained, had been stolen from 
a member of Arnold's Troop while it lay at Parsippany, 
and to his delight he recovered the lost animal. It is 
no ordinary pleasure, as the writer conceives, to 

182 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

be permitted to look upon and handle the watch 
carried by Colonel Jacob Arnold during the Rev- 
olution, and while in command of his famous 
Light Horse Troop ; and the next best thing to 
seeing and handling the watch, is the pleasure of look- 
ing upon a photographic representation of it. This 
pleasure is given the readers of this volume. The 
watch, like its owner during the Revolutionary period, 
has a history, which should not be hidden "under a 
bushel." It originally belonged to Samuel Arnold, the 
father of the redoubtable colonel. From Samuel 
Arnold the watch, at his decease, descended to his son 
Jacob ; from Jacob it descended to his son Edward, 
and naturally would have descended next in order to 
Isaac G. Arnold, recently deceased. 

But one day, during his brief illness, Edward Ar- 
nold gave explicit instructions to have the watch given 
to Howard Baylies Arnold, the only son of Isaac G., 
whose property it now is. The seal, a representation of 
a rattlesnake, is symbolic of the motto, never to strike 
till warning has been duly given. The works in this 
watch are of English make, the escapement being 
known as the "verge," both of which facts the writer 
ascertained from a Morristown jeweler. The chain is 
of steel, and from long usage some of its links are 
nearly worn through, necessitating careful handling. 

At the session of the Provincial Congress, which 
on the twenty-third day of May, in the year 1775, con- 
vened at Trenton, the Morris county delegatess were 
present of whom William DeHart, Silas Tuttle, Peter 

183 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Dickerson and Jonathan Stiles, were from Morristown. 
Assuming - by common consent the powers of legisla- 
tion, the Provincial Congress supplanted the former 
Legislature, continuing its session through the months 
of June and August. On the third day of June, in the 
year 1775, the Provincial Congress passed an Act for 
the regulation of the militia, one of the provisions of 
which was, that the muster roll to be signed by re- 
cruits, should contain only the promise "to obey our 
officers in such service as they shall appoint us, agree- 
able to the rules and orders of the Provincial Con- 
gress." Two regiments and one battalion of militia 
were, according to the Act above mentioned, to be re- 
cruited in Morris County, the two former of which 
were to be designated as the "eastern" and "western 
battalions." That these bodies of militia were promptly 
recruited, and organized, is a most natural inference. 
Of the eastern battalion, Jacob Ford, Jr., of Morris- 
town, then about thirty-seven years of age, was ap- 
pointed colonel. For this battalion Morristown fur- 
nished, at different times during the continuance of its 
organization, the following officers : Eleazer Lindsley, 
thirty-eight years of age, major and afterward lieu- 
tenant-colonel ; Benoni Hathaway, thirty-two years of 
age, captain and afterward lieutenant-colonel ; Richard 
Johnson, twenty-seven years of age, major ; Henry Ax- 
tell (sometimes spelled Axtil), thirty-seven years of 
age, major ; Joseph Lindsley, forty years of age, major ; 
John Doughty, twenty-four years of age, adjutant; 
Frederick King, thirty-seven years of age, quarter- 

184 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

master, and Timothy Johnes, twenty-seven years of age, 
surgeon. Jacob Arnold, twenty-six years of age, and 
Jonathan Stiles, Jr., twenty years of age, and both of 
Morristown, served in the militia as paymasters ; and 
Barnabas Budd, thirty-seven years of age, of the same 
place, was a surgeon in the same arm of the service. In 
the same battalion to which the above-named officers 
were attached, as well also as in the Second Battalion, 
many other Morristown residents served as commis- 
sioned officers during the Revolution. 

The Act of the Provincial Congress, regulating the 
militia, passed on the sixteenth day of August, in the 
year 1775, also recommended that minute men be raised 
in all the counties of the province. Morris County 
was to have six companies of minute men. They were 
to furnish themselves with "a good musket or firelock 
and bayonet, sword or tomahawk, a steel ramrod, 
worm, priming wire and brush fitted thereto, a car- 
touch box to contain 23 rounds of cartridges, twelve 
flints and a knapsack." Each man was to keep one 
pound of powder and three pounds of lead at his house. 
As the term "minute men" suggests, they were to hold 
themselves in constant readiness to march, on the short- 
est notice, to any point where their services might be 
needed. 

At a meeting of the Morris County delegates held at 
the Dickerson tavern on the fourteenth day of Sep- 
tember, in the year 1775, it having been ascertained that 
the full number of minute men, required of the county 
had been enlisted, it was recommended to the Provin- 

185 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

cial Congress that a number of officers be commissioned 
for the command of these soldiers. Among the names 
recommended were those of the following residents 
of Morristown: Timothy Johnes, (son of "Parson. 
Johnes"), for surgeon; Silas Howell, for captain; Jos- 
eph Lindsley, for first lieutenant; Richard Johnston, 
for second lieutenant; Ebenezer Condict, for captain; 
Benoni Hathaway, for first lieutenant ; Moses Prudden, 
for second lieutenant ; Joseph Beach, for ensign. 

At a late hour on the same day a meeting of the of- 
ficers of the battalion, about twenty-five in number, was 
held at some place in Morristown not now ascertain- 
able. At this meeting nearly a score of the battalion 
officers were present. William DeHart was the mod- 
erator, and Jacob Drum the clerk of this meeting. 
The officers present were: William DeHart, Captain 
Ebenezer Condict, Lieutenant Moses Prudden, En- 
sign Caleb Horton, Ensign Richard Johnston, Ensign 
Samuel Day, Lieutenant Noadiah Wade, Captain Sam- 
uel Ball, Lieutenant Moses Keepore (probably meant 
for Kitchel), Captain Jacob Drum, Lieutenant Josiah 
Hall, Lieutenant Daniel Baldwin, Lieutenant Joseph 
Lindsley, Captain Silas Howell, Ensign David Tuttle, 
Lieutenant Benoni Hathaway. It was unanimously 
voted to recommend to the Provincial Congress, or 
Committee of Safety of New Jersey, the following gen- 
tlemen for field officers: Colonel, William Winds; 
lieutenant-colonel, William DeHart; major, David 
Bates, and adjutant, Joseph Morris. Faithful service 
to these field officers, should they be commissioned, 

186 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

was pledged by the officers recommending them. The 
meeting was then adjourned. 

The first call of the Continental Congress upon New 
Jersey for troops, was made on the ninth day of Oc- 
tober, in the year 1775. Two battalions, consisting of 
eight companies each, each company to have sixty-eight 
privates, one captain, one lieutenant, one ensign, four 
sergeants and four corporals, was the quota recom- 
mended to the Provincial Congress, then in session at 
Trenton, to be furnished by New Jersey. The privates 
were to be enlisted for the period of one year, liable 
however, to be discharged in the meantime. They 
were to receive $5 per month, and if discharged before 
the expiration of the year, were to be allowed one 
month's pay extra. One felt hat, one pair of yarn 
stockings and a pair of shoes were to be allowed the 
men, instead of a bounty. Each man was to furnish 
his own arms. 

The officers were to receive, until further orders, the 
same pay as the officers of the Continental army then 
in service, and any increase in favor of the latter, 
should apply also to the former. The recommendations 
of the Continental Congress having on the thirteenth 
day of October, of the year 1775, been received and 
adopted by the Provincial Congress, the latter body on 
the twenty-sixth day of the month above mentioned, 
provided for the issuance of warrants to suitable per- 
sons to recruit the two battalions called for by the Con- 
tinental army. Mustering officers were also appointed, 
whose duty it should be to review the companies to be 
recruited. 

187 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

"I , have this day voluntarily enlisted myself as a 

soldier in the American Continental army for one year, 
unless sooner discharged, and do bind myself to conform in 
all instances to such rules and regulations as are or shall be 
established for the government of the said army." 

Such was the form of enlistment under which these 
men were to be recruited. These battalions were 
promptly raised and mustered. The officers were ap- 
pointed by the Provincial Congress, and the appoint- 
ments thus made were subsequently confirmed by the 
Continental Congress. Of the two battalions desig- 
nated as the "eastern" and "western," the eastern was 
raised largely in Morris County. Morristown fur- 
nished the following officers for the eastern battalion: 
William DeHart, major ; Silas Howell, captain, and 
Richard Johnson, second lieutenant. 

Again on January 10, in the year 1776, the Contin- 
ental Congress called for another battalion from New 
Jersey ; and in accordance with the recommendation of 
the Provincial Congress this command was organized 
at once. Of one of the companies of this battalion, 
Peter Dickerson, of Morristown, was the captain ; and 
of the privates Morristown seems to have furnished 
the following: Luke De Voir (sometimes spelled De- 
vour), Jeremiah Guard (or Gard), Thomas Hatha- 
way, John Hill and Timothy Losey. 

As the commanding officer of the eastern battalion of 
militia, comprising about 800 officers and men, Jacob 
Ford, Jr., had doubtless awakened to the realization 
of the need of gunpowder as an indispensable means 

186 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

to its efficiency as a fighting force. Hence, early in the 
year 1776, he caused to be erected a mill for the manu- 
facture of this necessity. In this enterprise he seems to 
have been assisted by his father ; indeed, such is the 
statement of Silas B. Condict, in a series of articles on 
the "Genealogical History of the Ford Family of Mor- 
ris County." Mr. Condict's words are: "Col. Jacob 
Ford Jun. took a very active part with his father, 
and we find them engaged in building a powder mill 
on the Whippany river near Morristown." That reli- 
ance is to be placed upon this statement the writer does 
not for a moment question. 

Major Joseph Lindsley seems to have supervised the 
erection of this building, and, inasmuch as this officer 
was subsequently spoken of as the "Blind Major," it 
is the opinion of some students of local history, that 
in consequence of having assisted in the manufacture of 
gunpowder in Ford's mill, his eyesight had been im- 
paired. Ford's powder mill, as it came to be known, 
was erected on the Whippanong River, in the rear of 
what is now the residence of Augustus Crane, which is 
situated on the left of the road leading from Morris- 
town to Whippany, and nearly opposite the commence- 
ment of the road leading to Columbia, formerly Afton. 
Or, with reference to the "Headquarters," the Crane 
residence is about the fifth or sixth house beyond, in 
the direction of Whippany, and on the same side of the 
road. The path leading to Ford's powder mill was 
through an almost impenetrable thicket, and was so 
completely surrounded by trees as to render it very 

189 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

difficult of discovery by the enemy; indeed, a more 
isolated spot could scarcely have been chosen. Through 
the courtesy of Philip H. Hoffman, of Morristown, a 
picture of this interesting building is to be seen in 
this volume. The sketch from which the picture here- 
in published is made, was drawn under the supervision 
of Mr. Hoffman, from a description furnished in- 
directly by persons who had themselves seen the build- 
ing before its removal, and it may, therefore, be relied 
upon as a practically accurate representation of the 
mill where saltpeter, sulphur and charcoal, mixed and 
afterward granulated, were chemically transformed into 
gunpowder under the supervision of Colonel Jacob 
Ford, Jr. 

The provincial authorities, having ascertained 
that Colonel Ford was engaged in the manufacture of 
gunpowder, were desirous of having him increase the 
output of his mill. As an inducement to him to accede 
to their wishes, they offered to loan him £2,000, without 
interest, on condition of his giving good security for 
the loan. They also offered to receive the payment of 
the loan in gunpowder, at the rate of one ton each 
month, until the entire amount should be paid. This 
offer was accepted by Colonel Ford, and the loan was 
in due course of time paid as per agreement. 

The writer has somewhere seen the statement that 
most of the gunpowder used in the Revolution was 
made in this mill, hidden away so completely among 
the trees and thicket on the banks of the placid Whip- 
panong, that the eyes of no redcoat ever had the pleas- 

190 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

ure of looking upon it. It may, however, be more in ac- 
cordance with the facts in the case, to say that most of 
the gunpowder used in New Jersey during the Revolu- 
tion, was manufactured in Ford's mill. This old mill 
was removed about a hundred feet from its original 
site, in the year 1815, and made into a dwelling. About 
this time Joseph M. Lindsley, a son of Major Joseph 
Lindsley, of Revolutionary fame, secured a piece of one 
of the timbers of the mill, about two inches in thick- 
ness, twelve inches in length and ten inches in 
width. It was highly polished, and on one side an ex- 
cellent representation of the old mill of Revolutionary 
days was made. It is now to be seen at the "Head- 
quarters." 

Colonel Benoni Hathaway had personal charge of the 
Ford Powder Mill, and supervised the removal of the 
powder from the isolated manufactory on the Whip- 
panong, to the magazine in the vicinity of the Green, 
where it was stored for future use. There is an appar- 
ently well-founded tradition to the effect, that when 
the output of the mill ran low, the resourceful colonel 
was wont to substitute sand for gunpowder, and with 
barrels well filled with this substitute for the genuine 
article, would transport it with special demonstrations 
of sufficiency, from mill to magazine. Not a few Brit- 
ish spies and resident Tories were deceived as to the 
actual output of the mill by this ingenious ruse of the 
resourceful colonel. 

The writer paid a visit a few weeks since to the Rev- 
olutionary residence of Colonel Benoni Hathaway, still 

191 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

standing in Morristown, and by his escort, the present 
owner of the building, had his attention directed to sev- 
«ral ground depressions in the rear of the house. It is 
the opinion of the owner, who for many years has been 
familiar with the premises, that these depressions mark 
the former resting place of small cannon, placed there 
by Colonel Hathaway during the Revolution, for the 
purpose of commanding the approach to the Ford 
Powder Mill, situated about half a mile to the east- 
ward. This theory has no little support in the fact 
that several cannon balls have been found near the 
Hathaway house, some of which the writer has seen ; 
and by the more significant fact that a few years since 
what seemed to be the remains of a gun carriage wheel, 
was also found on the premises. 

Near the Ford powder mill, and standing on the left 
of the road leading from Morristown to what, in Revo- 
lutionary times, was still known as Whippanong, was 
the Major Joseph Lindsley house. A large old-fash- 
ioned oven was attached to this house, in which the 
women of the family were accustomed to baking gener- 
ous quantities of bread for the American soldiers sta- 
tioned during the Revolution as guards about the Ford 
mansion, then the headquarters of Washington. The 
men of the household, at the period to which we are 
about to allude, were all absent in the army. Fears of 
a raid by the British were constantly entertained, not 
only by the women of the Lindsley household, but by 
the men employed in the powder mill nearby. Hearing 
•oe night the tramp of horses, the women were startled 

192 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

on looking out, at the sight of a company of horsemen 
in full uniform, near the house. The women were 
greatly relieved in mind when they ascertained that the 
soldiers were in search of the powder mill, and that 
they had been sent by Washington to guard the mill and 
house from an anticipated British raid. After some 
urging, one of the patriotic women consented to guide 
the horsemen to the powder mill, and, on foot, and go- 
ing ahead of them, she led the way through the dense 
thicket to the mill by the river. These horsemen, as 
was soon ascertained, were a portion of the Arnold 
Light Horse Troop, which were then acting as a body- 
guard to Washington. 

Reference has already been made to the inhabitants 
of the village of Morris Town, and of the outlying 
country included in the township, at the opening of the 
Revolution. , It is fortunate for the lovers of local his- 
tory, that a list of the freeholders of Morris Town en- 
titled to vote for deputies, or representatives, to the 
Provincial Congress which was to meet at Burlington, 
on the tenth day of June, in the year 1776, has been 
preserved. The election, it should be said, occurred in 
Morris Town, on the fourth Monday in May, 1776. 
This list is now to be presented. That it will be found 
of great interest there is no question. Following are 
the names of the freeholders : 

"John Allen, Jacob Arnold, John Ayres, Moses Allen, 
Gilbert Allen, Nathaniel Bonnell, Daniel Bishop, James 
Brookfield, Joseph Beach, John Beach, Samuel Broadwell, 
Joseph Bruen, Epenetus Beach, James Bollen, Jabez Beach, 

193 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

John Brookfield, Augustine Bayles, Uriah Cutler, Enoch 
Conger, Jabez Condict, Wood Cammer, William Cherry, 
Philip Condict, William Connot, Edward Cornell, Jabez 
Campfields, Philemon Dickerson, David Dalglass, Jesse 
Dickerson, Jeduthum Day, George Day, Ezekiel Day. Ben- 
jamin Day, Stephen Easton, Daniel Freeman, Phineas Fair- 
child, Zopher Freeman, Stephen Funhill, Jacob Frazey, Seth 
Gregory, Josiah Goldsmith, Ezekiel Goble, Joshua Guerin, 
Benjamin Goble, Henry Gardner, William Gardner, Jonas 
Goble, Christopher Gardner, William Gray, John Gwinnup, 
Levi Holloway, Philip Hathaway, Silas Hallsey, John Hollo- 
way, William Hayware/" (Hayward?) Daniel Hayward, 
Caleb Howell, Benoni Hathaway, Ichabod Johnson, Richard 
Johnson, Elisha Johnson, William Johnes, Joseph Kitchell, 
Frederick King, Abraham Ludlum, Daniel Layton, Joseph 
Lewis, Joshua Lambert, Abraham Ludlum (Jr.?), Daniel 
Lickamore, David Leonard, Matthias Lum, David Muir, 
Philip Minton, Samuel Miller, Wartshill Monson. Moses 
Morrison, Peter Mackie, John Masco, Timothy Mills, Jr., 
Jacob Morrell, Jedediah Mills, Robert McElee, Abraham 
Monson, Solomon Monson, Shadows Mahan, Stephen 
Moore, Samuel Oliver, Jonathan Ogden, David Ogden, 
Benjamin Pierson, Jr., Abraham Pierson, Jr., Joseph Prud- 
den, Moses Prudden, Peter Parsels, Isaac Pierson, Peter 
Pruden, Timothy Peck. Isaac Prudden, William Pierson, 
George Phillips, John Roberts, Jedediah Rodgers, Richard 
Runyon, Samuel Roberts, John Roberts, Jr., Robert Rolf, 
John Stewart, Daniel Smith, Joseph Stiles, Silas Stiles, Jona- 
than Stiles, Jr., Ezekiel Thoss, William Templeton, H. D. 
Tripp, Isaac Whitehead, David Ward, Jr., Isaac Whitehead 
(Jr.?), Nathaniel Woodhull, Joseph Winger, Jonathan Wood, 
Robert Young." 

According to an ordinance passed by the Provincial 
Congress, which met at New Brunswick, in the months 

194 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

of February and March, of the year 1776, those free- 
holders were qualified to vote for representatives in 
General Assembly "who had signed the general asso- 
ciation recommended by this Congress," and all other 
persons of full age who had resided for one year pre- 
ceding the election in any county of the colony, and was 
worth at least fifty pounds proc. money in personal 
estate, and had signed the association aforesaid, should 
be admitted to vote. The deputies of representatives, 
were to be freeholders, with at least 500 pounds proc. 
monev. 




195 




CHAPTER XL 



"Hail! independence, hail! heaven's next best gift, 
To that of life and an immortal soul! 
The life of life, and to the banquet high 
And sober meal gives taste; to the bow'd roof 
Fair dreams, repose, and to the cottage charms." 

HAT these colonies are, and of right, 
ought to be, free and independent 
States ; and that all political connec- 
tion between us and the State of 
Great Britain is, and ought to be, 
totally dissolved" — such was the bold 
resolution presented by Richard 
Henry Lee, of Virginia, in the Continental Congress, in 
session at Philadelphia, on the seventh day of June, in 
the year 1776. Owing to the momentousness of the 
matter, its formal discussion was deferred until the 
month of July following. A committee, of which 
Thomas Jefferson was chairman, was meanwhile ap- 
pointed to prepare the form of a Declaration for pres- 
entation to Congress as a basis of discussion. Such 

196 




THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

a Declaration was, on the second day of July, presented 
to Congress. The opening sentence was : 

"When, in the course of human events, it becomes neces- 
sary for one people to dissolve the political bands which 
have connected them with another, and to assume, among 
the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to 
which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a 
decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they 
should declare the causes which impel them to the separa- 
tion." 

Following these words was a detailed statement of 
the wrongs which had induced the people of the Amer- 
ican colonies to thus declare themselves free and inde- 
pendent to the mother country. Surpassing in thrilling 
effect the opening sentence of the immortal document 
whose presentation to Congress has just been noted, 
were its closing words, which were : 

"For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance 
on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge 
to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." 

At 2 o'clock in the afternoon of July 4, after its 
serious consideration, paragraph by paragraph, for 
nearly four days, the Declaration of American Inde- 
pendence was adopted by a unanimous vote of the 
Continental Congress, assembled in the old State House, 
at Philadelphia. With a hundred animated strokes 
of the iron-tongue of the old bell in the tower of what 
is now known as ''Independence Hall," this epoch- 

197 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

making and far-reaching act was proclaimed, the 
prompt response to which were the enthusiastic ac- 
clamations of the people, followed by cannon peals, bon- 
fires and illuminations, not in the Quaker City only, 
but through the united colonies. 

That Morristown joined in these demonstrations of 
exuberant joyfulness, it would be superfluous to add. 
Animated and supported in spirit by the consciousness 
that they were then, and thenceforth were to be, the 
United States of America, the people bravely renewed 
their determination to prosecute the pending war to a 
successful issue. 

Early in the month of July, of the year 1776, Wash- 
ington was in New York and vicinity, with an army 
whose numbers did not exceed 17,000 men. With a 
combined force of 35,000 men, including a large body 
of Hessian troops, General Howe took possession of 
Staten Island. Landing soon afterward on the western 
end of Long Island, the British forces surrounded 
and captured 2,000 of the American troops, under 
General Putnam ; less the killed and wounded. Wash- 
ington, under cover of a dense fog, quietly withdrew his 
entire force from Brooklyn, across the East River, to 
New York. Acting upon the advice of his officers, he 
retreated to White Plains, where an engagement oc- 
curred with the enemy, the result of which was disad- 
vantageous to the American forces. Again the Amer- 
ican army fell back, this time upon North Castle. The 
enemy did not pursue. Leaving one detachment at 
North Castle, a second at Fort Washington and a third 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

at Peekskill, Washington crossed the Hudson, and, by 
way of Hackensack, Newark, Elizabethtown, New 
Brunswick, Princeton and Trenton, retreated through 
that portion of the State, crossing the Delaware with 
his diminished and disheartened army, at the point last 
named on December 8. 

With the foregoing necessary, and meager review 
of events transpiring since the opening of the year 1776, 
we must return with our readers to the consideration 
of occurrences in Morristown. The presence at the 
county seat of Morris of a powder mill, whose monthly 
output was a ton of first-class gunpowder, a due pro- 
portion of which was made into cartridges under the 
supervision of bustling Benoni Hathaway, was no or- 
dinary allurement to the enemy, then in undisputed 
possession of New York and vicinity. Through in- 
formation furnished by spies, or resident tories, or per- 
haps by both, the enemy was aware of the local circum- 
stances mentioned. It is very doubtful, however, that 
either spy, or enemy knew the exact wdiereabouts of 
the mill, whose product was in future to be used in 
propelling bullet and ball against the ranks of British 
redcoats, and Hessian mercenaries. 

The first attempt upon the part of the enemy to reach 
Morristown, with a view of destroying Ford's powder 
mill, by blowing it up with its own product, was made 
soon after its erection. Through the vigilance of Col- 
onel Jacob Ford, Jr., and the efficiency of his battalion of 
Morris County militia, the attempt was successfully 
thwarted. Hitherto the attempts of the British to reach 

199 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Morristown, for the destruction of the powder mill, had 
been made by small detachments of horsemen, but dur- 
ing the month of December, in the year 1776, General 
Leslie, with a considerable force, was sent out on the 
same important errand. Intelligence of this movement 
of the enemy having in some way been conveyed to 
Colonel Ford, he, with his battalion of militia, 
marched to Springfield, where on the fourteenth 
day of the month last mentioned, a sharp en- 
gagement took place with the force commanded 
by General Leslie. The British commander re- 
ceived so convincing a demonstration of the high 
quality of Morristown gunpowder, and of the corres- 
ponding efficiency of Morris County militia, that he 
unceremoniously retreated toward Spanktown, now 
Rahway. Withdrawing his battalion from Springfield, 
Colonel Ford encamped at Chatham, to watch the fur- 
ther movements of the enemy. It is said that "when 
the French Government heard of the battle of Spring- 
field, fought as it was, by militia alone, they made up 
their minds to assist our struggling forefathers. I 
mention this to you as important historically, and also 
as a tribute to the patriotism of the Morris County 
men, who were mainly the force employed on that oc- 
casion. There is another important fact. The French 
Government supposed the war of the Revolution was 
got up by selfish, designing men, and that they hired 
the soldiers who fought the battles. But when they 
saw the earnestness of the farmers and country people 
of our county and State, they made up their minds that 

200 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

it would be a long, earnest and truly patriotic fight, 
and they resolved to help." 

Retracing our steps somewhat, chronologically, it will 
be ascertained that Colonel Ford's battalion of militia 
had, previously to the engagement at Springfield, dem- 
onstrated its efficiency. Anticipating his retreat 
through New Jersey, after the disastrous campaign in 
New York State, Washington called upon New Jersey 
for troops to cover his rear against Cornwallis, who, 
with an ample force, was in pursuit of the American 
army. This important service was, in part, performed 
by the Morris County men. with credit alike to the 
State and to Colonel Ford and his battalion, which had 
been detailed for that object. The "mud rounds" is the 
significant term by which the campaign including the 
movements above mentioned has since been known. 

On the fourteenth day of December, in the year 
1776, Morristown was visited by an American officer of 
high rank, General Alexander McDougall, whose pres- 
ence at the county seat, at that period of local history, 
was an occurrence of no ordinary interest.. The ar- 
rival, on the seventeenth day of the same month, only 
three days after the date above mentioned, of three reg- 
iments of eastern troops from Ticonderoga, seems to 
indicate that General McDougall was in Morristown 
under instructions from Washington, for the purpose, 
perhaps, of arranging for an encampment. And, as 
the arrival of Washington himself, with his decimated 
army, in Morristown, occurred only about three weeks 
later, it may be inferred that the presence of General 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

McDougall at the county seat was also in some way 
connected with that interesting event. The three reg- 
iments of eastern troops, which, as we have seen, ar- 
rived in Morristown on the seventeenth of December, 
were in command of Colonel Vose, and comprised 
Greaton's regiment of about 250 men, Bond's regi- 
ment of about 100 men and Porter's regiment of about 
170 men ; a force aggregating about 520 men. On the 
twentieth day of December, following the arrival 
of the regiments in command of Colonel Vose, 
Washington in a letter to the president of the United 
States Congress, said : 

"I have directed the three regiments from Ticonderoga to 
halt at Morristown. in Jersey (where, I understand, about 
800 militia have collected), in order to inspirit the inhabi- 
tants, and, as far as possible, to cover that part of the coun- 
try." 

In view, however, of all the circumstances, as now 
understood, it is almost certain, notwithstanding the 
reasons given in the letter above mentioned, for the 
presence of "the three regiments from Ticonderoga/' 
that the force in command of Colonel Vose was in Mor- 
ristown chiefly for the protection of Ford's powder mill, 
which the enemy, in spite of repeated but futile at- 
tempts to reach and blow up, were still determined to 
destroy. In war, no less than in diplomacy, language 
is not infrequently employed with the design of hiding 
the real intent and Washington was no stranger to this 
art of concealment. Morris County troops would un- 

202 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

questionably have been fully equal to the protection of 
the invaluable powder manufactory at Morristown, 
particularly in conjunction with Colonel Ford's bat- 
talion, but for the absence in the regular service of a 
county regiment in command of the brave Colonel 
Winds. 

It was not until the twenty-second day of December, 
five days after the arrival of the three regiments from 
Ticonderoga, that Colonel Ford arrived in Morristown 
with his battalion from Chatham, where they had been 
watching in vain for a second opportunity to demon- 
strate their efficiency as soldiers. Nine days after the 
arrival home of Colonel Ford's battalion — that is to 
say, on the thirty-first day of December, they were on 
parade, presumably on the grounds to the south of the 
village Green, between the present site of the national 
bank and Bank street, and including a portion also of 
the South street of the year 1905. Doubtless the bat- 
talion of militia, which had returned so recently from 
its highly creditable engagement with the red coats at 
Springfield, was disbanded soon after the parade above 
mentioned. It was a parade which was proudly wit- 
nessed, the writer ventures to suggest, by the assembled 
patriots of the county seat and vicinity. 

Before the parade closed, Colonel Ford, to employ 
the quaint language of his day, was seized "with a de- 
lirium in his head and was borne off by a couple of 
soldiers, after which he never rose from his bed." On 
the tenth day of January, in the year 1776, he died of 



203 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

inflammation of the lungs — lung fever, as it was then 
termed, or pneumonia, as the medical profession would 
now call it. His illness was without doubt induced by 
the exposure and hardships of his recent services in 
the field. His body, by order of Washington, was bur- 
ied with the honors of war, Captain Rodney's light in- 
fantry company acting as an escort to the remains. 

In the midst of exceptional usefulness, and in the full 
vigor of young manhood, there thus passed away 
one of the most promising men ever produced in Mor- 
ristown. In view of the brilliancy exhibited by this 
early martyr to freedom, during his brief public career, 
it would have been safe to predict for him almost un- 
limited achievement as a military officer, in the war 
which, at his untimely disease, had been in progress 
but little more than a year. 

Born on the nineteenth day of February, in the year 
1738, Colonel Ford had, therefore, at the time of his 
decease, scarcely attained the thirty-ninth year of his 
age. On the twenty-seventh day of January, in the 
year 1762, he married Theodocia, the accomplished 
daughter of the Rev. Timothy Johnes. Five children 
were the result of this union of hearts, namely: Tim- 
othy, Gabriel H., Elizabeth, Jacob and Phebe. Colonel 
Ford's remains now lie in the older portion of the bur- 
ial grounds of the First Presbyterian Church, of Mor- 
ristown. The inscription upon his monument, as care- 
fully transcribed by the writer, is as follows : 



204 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Sacred 

To the Memory of 

Colo. Jacob Ford Jun'r, 

Son of 

Colo. Jacob Ford Sen'r. 

He was Born 

February the 19th, Anno Domini 1738, 

And departed this life 

January the 10th, Anno Domini 1777, 

And Being then 

In the Service of his Country, 

Was Interred in this place 

With Military Honors. 

In vain we strive by human skill 

To avoid the Shaft of Death; 
Heav'n's high Decree it must fulfil 

And we resign our Breath. 
The friends who read our Tomb and mourn 

And weep our Early Fall, 
Must be lamented in their day 
And share the fate of all. 

On the sixth day of January, in the year 1777, there 
arrived in Morristown one whose presence has from 
that hour to this, rendered sacred the ground he trod, 
and the very atmosphere he breathed. It was none 
other than Washington. He came fresh from the bril- 
liant and decisive victories of Trenton and Princeton. 
For his headquarters he promptly selected the Arnold 
tavern. This tavern, the exceptionally interesting 
story of which would of itself make a volume of rare 
value, was erected, as nearly as can now be ascertained, 
by Samuel Arnold, the father of Colonel Jacob Arnold, 
about the year 1740, and by the father it was subse- 

205 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

quently conveyed to the son. A necessarily brief de- 
scription of the building will in due time be given. 

Prior to the commencement of the Revolution this 
tavern was kept by Thomas Kinney, a prominent man 
in county affairs, and the owner of no little landed prop- 
erty. Jacob Arnold, however, had resided in Morris- 
town village since the year 1772. It seems to have 
been about the month of June, in the year 1775, that 
Jacob Arnold assumed the proprietorship of what is 
now known as the Arnold tavern. From the com- 
mencement of the difficulty between the American col- 
onies and the mother country, the name of Jacob 
Arnold had been the synonym of intense patriotism; 
and that his large and well kept hostelry should have 
become the favorite rendezvous of the patriots of Mor- 
ristown and Morris County, was but an almost inev- 
itable sequence. Washington was doubtless in some 
measure influenced in the selection of headquarters by 
the reputation of the tavern, and its proprietor, for 
their well-known loyalty to the growing cause of free- 
dom. Either prior to. or closely following, the arrival 
in Morristown of the commander-in-chief, Jacob Ar- 
nold was appointed aide and paymaster. That the 
unique personality of this patriot was an additional 
attraction to the distinguished guest who sought the 
hospitality of his ample roof, is the writer's opinion. 
From a descendant of Mr. Arnold, the writer has 
learned, that in height he was about five feet and eight 
inches. He was a thick set. broad shouldered man, with 
a large head and neck. His eyes were blue, and his 
hair dark. 

206 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Attached to this tavern, and running back to the 
Jockey Hollow road (now Western avenue), extend- 
ing also northeastward as far as the present Speedwell 
avenue, was a farm of considerable area, the products 
of whose soil contributed in no small measure to the 
bountifully prepared table of this famous hostelry. The 
Arnold tavern was a three-story building, with a large 
chimney at either end. Running back from the main 
portion of the building, which was 43 feet in length 
and 25 feet in depth, was a two-story L or wing, which 
did not extend entirely across the rear of the structure. 
This wing was about 20 feet in depth by 25 feet in 
width, and two stories in height. 

The main portion of the building was divided by a 
wide hallway running from front to rear, through the 
centre. Access to the second floor was by means of a 
broad, winding stairway leading out of the hallway 
mentioned. On the southern end of the building were 
a front and back parlor, while on the opposite end were 
a bar-room, dining-room and kitchen. Over the dining- 
room and kitchen, both of which seem to have been in 
the rear extension, was a commodious hall, in which 
assembly balls were not infrequently held. In this 
hall, the army Masonic lodge held its meetings during 
the winters of 1777 and 1780. During his winter's so- 
journ at this famous tavern, Washington occupied the 
two rooms on the second floor, over the bar-room (the 
bar-room was at the northeast of the building, to the 
right of the main front entrance) ; the front room 
being used as an office, and the one directly back of the 

207 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

office as a sleeping room. "The commander-in-chief 
appointed the light infantry to be his personal body- 
guard, requiring 26 men to mount sentry around the 
Arnold tavern. That this guard might always be with- 
in a more convenient distance than was the general 
camp (at Lowantica Valley) the entire regiment was 
installed about one mile away, in the large Ford man- 
sion, now the well known 'Headquarters.' General 
Green quartered with a Mr. Hoffman, whom tradition 
mentions as a good-natured man, whose charming wife 
was a great lover of the clergy. * * * A few days 
after the army reached Morristown, Colonel Daniel 
Hitchcock, of Rhode Island, who had fought and 
marched under Washington from the outset, fell a vic- 
tim to the fatigues and exposures of the campaign. At 
Assunpink and Princeton he had commanded a brigade 
of five regiments and was congratulated by his Chief 
after the battles." 

On the eleventh day of January, smallpox (said 
by some to have been deliberately introduced by the 
British authorities) broke out in Morristown, the first 
victim being Martha, the widow of Joshua Ball. Dur- 
ing the same month two more deaths occurred from 
this disease, and within the period of one year the list 
was increased to sixty-eight, including old and middle- 
aged and young. Nor were sex or condition regarded 
by this dire disease. Putrid sore throat, dysentery and 
other maladies swelled the number of deaths in the vil- 
lage to 205. 



208 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Among the soldiers, the ravages of the smallpox be- 
came so prevalent, that establishments for inoculation 
were provided near Morristown, some of which were in 
private houses. So numerous did smallpox cases be- 
come, that the Presbyterian and Baptist churches in 
Morristown, were used as hospitals. The use of the 
Presbyterian church as a smallpox hospital, necessi- 
tated the holding of divine services on Sunday in priv- 
ate houses, and when the weather was suitable, in the 
open air. A favorite place for these open air services 
was in a somewhat secluded dell in the rear of the res- 
idence of Rev. Timothy Johnes, which was also par- 
tially protected from the elements by a copse of trees, 
and by the ground elevation between the meeting place 
and the Whippanong River beyond. 

It was on the thirteenth day of January, one week- 
after his arrival in Morristown, that Washington 
opened a brief, but notable correspondence with Lord 
Howe, the subject of which was the inhuman treatment 
of captured American soldiers and sailors. Against 
this Washington vigorously protested. If tradition 
from two distinct sources may be relied upon, and in 
this particular case there seems to be ample ground for 
reliance, the serious phase of the correspondence be- 
tween the two distinguished gentlemen alluded to, was 
relieved by the employment of a vein of humor on both 
sides. It is said that Lord Howe sent to Washington, 
while the correspondence was in progress, a copy of 
Watt's version of the 120th Psalm, which reads: 



209 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

"Thou God of love, thou ever blest, 

Pity my suffering state; 
When wilt Thou set my soul at rest 

From lips that love deceit? 

Hard lot of mine! my days are cast 

Among the sons of strife, 
Whose never ceasing brawlings waste 

My golden hours of life. 

O! might I change my place, 

How would I choose to dwell 
In some wide, lonesome wilderness, 

And leave these gates of hell!" 

Washington, so it is said, returned to Howe Watts's 
version of the ioist Psalm, of which two stanzas are 
quoted : 

"In vain shall sinners strive to rise 
By flattering and malicious lies; 
And while the innocent I guard 
The bold offender sha'n't be spared. 

The impious crew, that factious band, 
Shall hide their heads, or quit the land; 
And all who break the public rest, 
Where I have power shall be supprest." 

On the nineteenth day of January, in the year 1777, 
Colonel Jacob Ford, Sr., died of fever, at the age of 
seventy-three years. Immediately to one side of the 
monument of his son now lie the remains of Colonel 
Jacob Ford, Sr. 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"Sacred 
To the Memory 

of 

Colo. Jacob Ford 

He was born 

April the 13th, Anno Domini 1704 

And departed this Life 

January the 19th, Anno Domini 1777," 

is the simple inscription upon his monument. His 
memory will be cherished so long as the freedom for 
which he toiled is appreciated. 




211 




CHAPTER XII 

"They pitched their camp and through it made 
A main street passing wide; 
And in the midst a flagstaff set 
For all the country side." 

Ballads of New Jersey in the Revolution. 

T was on the sixth day of January, 
in the year 1777, that Washington, 
with his patriot army, reached Mor- 
ris County and went into winter 
quarters. Washington's army was 
encamped chiefly at Lowantica Val- 
ley ; or Spring Valley as it is now 
called, about three miles east of the Morristown Green. 
Not a few of his soldiers were, however, quartered, or 
"billeted," in private houses in various portions of the 
county. Some of the officers were quartered at the 
Arnold tavern in Morristown, and at other houses in the 
village, and outlying country. 

The condition of this army is well described by the 
Rev. William Gordon, D. D., in "The History of the 
American Revolution." He says : 




THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"The army under General Washington marched on to 
Pluckamin in their way to Morristown, pulling up the 
bridges as they proceeded, thereby to incommode the enemy 
and secure themselves. By the time they got there (Morris- 
town), the men were so excessively fatigued, that a fresh 
and resolute body of five hundred might have demolished the 
whole Numbers lay down in the woods and fell asleep, 
without regarding the coldness of the weather. The royal 
army was still under such alarming impressions, that it con- 
tinued its march from Trenton to Brunswick, thirty miles, 
without halting longer at least than was necessary to make 
the bridges over Stony Brook and Millstone passable." 

There is but a single flaw in Historian Gordon's esti- 
mate of the efficiency of Washington's "excessively 
fatigued" army, and it is this : His understanding of 
the stuff of which they were made, differed radically 
from that of the British commander, who had so re- 
cently received a practical demonstration of the fact 
on several battle-fields in New Jersey. From a letter 
written by Washington from Morristown to General 
Philip Schuyler, on the eighteenth day of January, of 
the year 1777, the following extract is given: 

"The enemy by two lucky strokes, at Trenton and Prince- 
ton, have been obliged to abandon every part of Jersey 
except Brunswic and Amboy, and the small tract of country 
between them, which is so entirely exhausted of supplies of 
every kind, that I hope, by preventing them from sending 
their foraging parties to any great distance, to reduce them 
to the utmost distress, in the course of this winter." 

Fourteen days after his arrival in Morristown, 
Washington wrote Governor Livingston, of New Jer- 

213 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

sey, a most cheering letter, in which, among other 
things of importance, he said: "Our affairs here are 
in a very prosperous train. Within a month past, in 
several engagements with the enemy" — he evidently 
refers to the battles at Trenton, Assunpink and 
Princeton — "we have killed, wounded and taken pris- 
oners between two and three thousand men. I am 
very confident that the enemy's loss here will oblige 
them to recall their force from your State. If I am 
properly supported, I shall hope to close the campaign 
gloriously for America." 

Washington's army, on his arrival at Morristown, 
as Gordon rightly estimated, did not exceed in number 
4,000 men, and by some historians, 3,000 is the esti- 
mate given. The British force in New Jersey at the 
time numbered fully 10,000 men. The short term of 
enlistment — one year — of most of the soldiers in the 
American army, would, as the commander-in-chief 
was well aware, soon expire, and how to replenish the 
ranks of his army, so soon to be depleted, became to 
him a matter of deep solicitude. In his endeavor to 
meet the grave exigency which confronted him, Wash- 
ington dispatched letters to the New Jersey Council 
of Safety, to the Governors of the thirteen newly con- 
stituted States and to the President of the United 
States Congress, urgently calling upon these official 
bodies for recruits, and for the munitions of war 
necessary for the conduct of the prospective campaign. 
In response to these appeals for recruits they in due 
course of time began to arrive at the various army 

214 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

camps, in what numbers, and with what degree of 
promptitude, may be learned from a communication 
written by Washington on the twenty-sixth day of 
January, in the year 1777, in which he said: 

"Reinforcements come up so extremely slow that I am 
afraid I shall be left without any men before they arriTe. 
The enemy must be ignorant of our numbers or they have 
not horses to move their artillery, or they would not suffer 
us to remain undisturbed." 

Unwilling to await the expiration of their term of 
enlistment, not a few of the soldiers of Washington's 
army, prior to their arrival at Morristown, and even 
afterward, deserted. The number of desertions be- 
came so large that Washington awoke to the necessity 
of prompt and energetic action to check the growing 
evil. Since his army was not only daily diminishing in 
numbers, and hence in efficiency, but those who re- 
mained would, it was apprehended by the sagacious 
commander, soon become demoralized in spirit, Wash- 
ington, therefore, wrote letters to the United States 
Congress, earnestly requesting that body to recom- 
mend to the different States the enactment of stringent 
laws against deserters, and against such persons also 
as should harbor and protect them. He wrote also to 
the Governors of the States, pressing the same import- 
ant matters upon their attention. His letter addressed 
to the representatives of New Jersey closes with the 
words: "Desertion must of course cease when the of- 
fenders find they have no shelter." The punishment 

215 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

inflicted upon deserters apprehended and brought 
back to camp was diverse, and, in not a few instances, 
severe. "Running- the gauntlet," as it was termed, 
was a mode of punishment sometimes inflicted upon 
deserters. The entire battalion of six or seven hun- 
dred men to which the apprehended deserter was at- 
tached, would be drawn up in two lines, about four 
feet apart on the parade ground. The deserter, who 
had been stripped of all clothing, save his pantaloons, 
was then compelled to run between the ranks, while 
the soldiers on either side applied their whips to his 
bared back. Three times the deserter was required to 
thus run through the open ranks of his battalion, while 
officers near at hand, compelled the men who shrunk 
from the performance of the disagreeable duty to ap- 
ply the whip, until sometimes the punished soldier 
would fall to the ground from sheer exhaustion, with 
the blood running from his lacerated body. This mode 
of punishment was usually effectual with the victim, 
and acted also as a deterrent to further desertions. 
Hanging was also occasionally resorted to as the pen- 
alty for desertion. It is said that two deserters who 
were shot at the Lowantica encampment, are buried 
there. 

The smallpox, of whose beginning we spoke in the 
previous chapter, was proving so fatal in Morristown, 
and the vicinity, that on the fifth day of February, in 
the year 1777, Washington was impelled to address a 
letter to the United States Congress upon the sub- 
ject in which he said: 

216 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"The smallpox has made such a head in every quarter that 
I find it impossible to keep it from spreading through the 
whole army, in the natural way. I have, therefore, deter- 
mined not only to inoculate all the troops, now here, that 
have not had it, but I shall order Doctor Shippen to inocu- 
late the recruits, also, as fast as they come to Philadelphia." 

Many of the people seriously objected to submitting 
themselves to inoculation ; and in the work of persuad- 
ing his parishioners of the efficacy of this operation, 
Rev. Timothy Johnes, by reason of his great personal 
influence, materially aided Washington in his effort 
to thus stay the ravages of the terrible disease. The 
smallpox, which, as we have seen, began with Martha 
Ball, on the eleventh day of January, in the year 1777, 
extended through the First Presbyterian Church par- 
ish with truly alarming strides. On the twenty-fourth, 
and also on the thirty-first day of January, of the year 
above mentioned, there occurred a death from the 
dire disease. Rev. Mr. Johnes, during the month of 
February, attended in his parish eleven funerals of 
residents of Morristown who had succumbed to the 
smallpox; this was an average of nearly three each 
week in the month. In the month of March, the num- 
ber of deaths fell to nine. During the month of April, 
there were twenty-one deaths, an average of nearly 
one death for each weekday. In the months of May, 
June, July and August there were, respectively, elev- 
en, six, eight and one deaths, from the same disease. 
The unfaltering faithfulness of "Parson Johnes" may, 
with some measure of adequacy, at least, be empha- 

217 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

sized by the statement that on the second, seventh and 
eighth days of the month of April he officiated at two 
funerals of the victims of the prevalent disease, and 
on the fourteenth and thirty-first days of the same 
month, he officiated at the funerals of three of his par- 
ishioners. This was an aggregate of sixty-eight in his 
own parish alone, not to mention the deaths in the 
Baptist parish. It is said that it was no uncommon 
occurrence during the prevalence of smallpox in Mor- 
ristown, to find, in the morning, several bodies of vic- 
tims who had succumbed to the disease during the 
previous night, lying under the pews in the Presby- 
terian Church. Among the smallpox patients in the 
Presbyterian Church, was Nehemiah Smith, a soldier 
in Washington's army, who was the maternal grand- 
father of the Rev. Rufus S. Green, recently pastor of 
the First Presbyterian Church, of Morristown. 

There is an apparently well-grounded tradition, 
which, so far as the writer is aware, has never been 
questioned, that in the winter of 1777, and during the 
prevalence of small-pox, Washington was ill with 
quinsy sore throat. Intelligence of his illness being 
conveyed to Martha Washington, she hastened to the 
bedside of her illustrious husband, and in the modest 
sleeping-room on the second floor of the Arnold tav- 
ern, then occupied by Washington, nursed him back 
to health. At a time during the illness of Washing- 
ton, when his decease was apprehended, he was asked 
by a friend at his bedside, whom he could designate 
as being suitably qualified to succeed him as comman- 

218 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

der of the American army; and, being unable to speak 
in audible tones, he pointed, without a moment's hesi- 
tation, to General Nathanael Greene, the quartermas- 
ter-general of the army, who was among the anxious 
watchers at the couch of his beloved chief. 

The winter of 1777 was an extremely cold one, and 
there was much suffering among the soldiers of the 
American army. A scarcity of food was also exper- 
ienced by the patriot army at Morristown and vicinity. 

"There was a time," said a surgeon who was with 
Washington's army during the winter just mentioned 
"when all our rations were but a single gill of wheat a 
day." 

Washington was not unmindful of the sufferings 
and sacrifices of his soldiers, and frequently rode to 
the various points where they were encamped, and 
billeted, to look after their welfare, and to speak words 
of cheer to them. 

"Washington used to come 'round and look into 
our tents" (we quote again from the surgeon above 
alluded to), "and he looked so kind and he said so 
tenderly: 'Men, can you bear it?' 'Yes, general, yes, 
we can,' was the reply; 'if you wish us to act, give us 
the word and we are ready.' " Than this incident, none 
in the public career of Washington brings out more 
clearly the better side of his splendid all-round charac- 
ter. In the light of such incidents, as illustrative of 
his character, it should be no matter of wonder that 
Washington's influence over his soldiers was so great 
and that during the seven years' struggle for indepen- 

219 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

dence he should have succeeded in holding his army 
together under circumstances the most trying. In a 
letter written by Washington to General Irvine, Com- 
missary, on Saturday, the twenty-second day of Feb- 
ruary, in the year 1777, he says: 

"The cry of want of Provisions comes to me from all 
Quarters — Genl. Maxwell writes word that his men are 
starving — Genl. Johnston, of Maryland, yesterday informed 
me that his people could draw none — this difficulty I under- 
stand prevails also at Chatham — What Sir is the meaning of 
this? — and why were you so desirous of excluding others 
from this business when you are unable to accomplish it 
yourself? Consider, I beseech you, the consequences of this 
neglect." 

On the sixth day of March, in the year 1777, Wash- 
ington wrote from Morristown as follows, to Gover- 
nor Trumbull, of Connecticut: 

"I tell you in confidence, that, after the fifteenth of this 
month, when the time of General Lincoln's militia expires, I 
shall be left with the remains of five Virginia regiments, not 
amounting to more than as many hundred men, and parts of 
two or three other Continental battalions, all very weak. The 
remainder of the army will be composed of small parties of 
militia from this State and Pennsylvania, on which little 
dependence can be put, as they come and go as they please." 

From the Journal of Colonel Timothy Pickering, 
the following entry under date of March twenty-sec- 
ond, in the year 1777, will be found of no ordinary in- 
terest: 

220 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"Went to Morristown. Finished my business with the 
Paymaster, and drank tea at headquarters (Arnold's tavern), 
General Washington and his lady being of the company, and 
then took leave of the General." 

It was on the second day of March, in the year 1777, 
that Washington wrote from Morristown: "General 
Howe cannot have less than 10,000 men in the Jer- 
seys. Our number does not exceed 4,000. His are 
well disciplined, well officered and well appointed; 
ours raw militia, badly officered and under no govern- 
ment." If Washington knew the condition and num- 
bers of Howe's army, Howe was far from acquainted 
with the status of the American army at Morristown 
and vicinity; and it was by resort to such ingenious 
means and methods as the following, that General 
Howe was deceived. A certain man had been em- 
ployed by Washington as a spy upon the British army. 
It was, however, surmised by some of the more vigi- 
lant of Washington's officers, Colonel Alexander 
Hamilton among them, that this spy was "playing 
double," in other words, that he was taking informa- 
tion to the British commander, while in the service of 
Washington. Quartermaster-General Greene's office 
was at the time in a small building which stood on 
the present site of Henry M. Smith's store, at the 
northwest corner of South and Morris streets. Colo- 
nel Hamilton was one day at Greene's office when the 
suspected spy entered. Hamilton, having previously 
resolved to make use of this spy, had commenced what 
purported to be a careful statement of the condition of 

221 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

the American army at Morristown and vicinity. Both 
as to numbers and munitions of war, this report was a 
deliberate exaggeration of the actual facts; in short, 
the American army and its resources were made to 
appear four times as great as they really were. This 
report Hamilton was apparently at work upon as the 
spy entered Greene's office. Pretending to have some 
errand outside, Colonel Hamilton excused himself, re- 
marking that he would return soon. As if by accident, 
in consequence of seeming haste, Hamilton left the re- 
port on the table where he had been writing and 
passed out of the office. Glancing hastily over the 
pages of Hamilton's report, and assured in his own 
mind that he had an invaluable piece of information for 
the enemy, the spy quickly folded and thrust into his 
pocket the precious document. In a few moments the 
spy was on his way to the British commander. On 
returning to the office of the quartermaster-general, 
and finding the fictitious report missing, Hamilton's 
suspicions of the spy were satisfactorily established. 
General John Doughty, by whom, after the close of 
the Revolution, the above incident was related, said 
that it was the opinion of Colonel Hamilton that the 
fictitious report of the condition of Washington's 
army, so eagerly conveyed by the spy to the British 
commander, was in no small measure the means of 
preserving the American army at Morristown from at- 
tack by the enemy, at a time when it was in poor con- 
dition to repel it. 

On the twenty-third day of March, in the year 1777, 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Colonel Elias Dayton's regiment of Morris County 
soldiers, arrived in Morristown, and were there mus- 
tered out of service. On the same day, Silas Condict 
was appointed, by Governor Livingston, a member of 
the New Jersey Council of Safety. This committee 
subsequently met several times at Mr. Condict's 
house, situated about a mile north of the Morristown 
Green, and a little off the main road now known as 
Sussex Avenue. With the New Jersey Council of 
Safety Washington met not a few times at the house 
of Mr. Condict. This house had no door (as the writ- 
er has been informed by a descendant of the Condicts) 
on what was naturally the front; on, that is to say, the 
side facing the crossroad on which it was situated. If 
there were windows on that side of the house they 
were covered by wooden shutters, always closed dur- 
ing the occupancy of Morristown and vicinity by the 
American army. The door was on what would nat- 
urally be considered the back of the house, and from 
this rear door entrance was had to the interior, with 
its wide hallway running from front to rear of the 
building, and with two rooms on either side. The 
reason for the rear entrance, and for the closed win- 
dows, was the privacy desired for the meetings of the 
Council of Safety, before whom matters of grave im- 
portance were brought, the consideration of which 
necessitated the greatest possible precaution against 
ascertainment by outsiders. 

During the Revolution, Mr. Condict, being fully 
aware that his capture by the British was devoutly 

223 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

wished, was accustomed to sleeping with a gun and a 
spear at his bedside, as a means of protection against 
British marauders and Tories. He often declared he 
would never be captured alive by the enemy. After 
the battle of Princeton, several British officers (cap- 
tured probably at the battle mentioned), in charge of 
a detachment of American soldiers, were brought to 
Morristown, as prisoners of war. For some reason, 
perhaps because there was no room for them in the old 
jail on the Green, these officers were for a time at 
least quartered in the house of Mr. Condict. The Brit- 
ish officers, so the writer has been informed by a de- 
scendant of Mr. Condict, occupied a front room, and 
the American soldiers a rear room. The British offi- 
cers brought with them a dog, which for a while they 
kept in their room. To this, for some reason, Mr. 
Condict objected; and at length he ordered the canine 
to be removed from the house. With a volley of oaths 
the British officers declared the dog should remain; 
but Mr. Condict firmly insisted upon his removal; and 
he was, thereby, removed. The officers became very 
angry; and in unmistakable manner gave expression 
to their feelings. Mr. Condict afterward remarked, 
that he "expected the enraged British officers would 
run me through with their swords." The American 
soldiers in the adjoining room, on hearing "the rum- 
pus," opened their door to ascertain the cause. They 
came, of course, to the support of Mr. Condict, and 
thereafter peace reigned in the temporary jail. 

While Washington was in Morristown with his 
224 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

army — this incident has come to the writer from a 
source whose reliability he sees no reason to question 
— James Pitney, familiarly called "Jim Pitney," of 
Mendham, just returned from service as a soldier in 
the patriot army, called on the Hon. Silas Condict, 
for the purpose of ascertaining where the commander- 
in-chief could be found, as he wished to call upon him. 
Mr. Pitney was without a hat, and his clothes were 
ragged and torn. Accompanied by Mr. Condict, who 
was glad to serve a man of Mr. Pitney's standing in the 
community, the latter called upon Washington at his 
headquarters. He was introduced, by Mr. Condict, to 
the commander-in-chief, as "a man of property and in- 
fluence at his home in Mendham." Washington must, 
by his courtesy on the occasion, have made a very fa- 
vorable impression upon Mr. Pitney, for the latter 
frequently remarked, as he subsequently recalled the 
interview, that "Washington is a very fine man." 

This house was occupied by Mr. Condict until the 
year 1798, when he built the house on Cutler street, 
now occupied by Mrs. Julia R. Cutler, widow of the 
late Hon. Augustus W. Cutler. After the completion 
of his new residence in the year above mentioned, Mr. 
Condict removed into it, and here he passed the clos- 
ing years of his life. During Mr. Condict's occupancy 
of his new home, Colonel Joseph W. Cutler, who, as 
we have seen, married his only granddaughter, lived 
for a time in the family. He subsequently removed to 
the old Condict house, where he resided until the de- 
cease of Mr. Condict. He died in the year 1801, in his 

225 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

new home, on what is now Cutler Street. This house 
is practically unaltered since the Hon. Silas Condict 
occupied it. There may still be seen the same spac- 
ious hallway extending from front to rear of the house 
with the wide stairway leading from the hallway to the 
second floor. After the decease of Mr. Condict, Col- 
onel Cutler returned to the new house built by the for- 
mer, where he resided during the remainder of his 
life. Mrs. Silas Condict continued to reside in her 
home in the family of her granddaughter, until her de- 
cease several years subsequent to that of her husband. 

The old Condict house, on the road leading to 
Brant's paper mill, after a somewhat "checkered ca- 
reer," was torn down a few years since, and a club 
house erected on its site. This club house was burned. 
The site of what was without question one of the most 
famous houses in the State, and the preservation of 
which would have been an act of practical patriotism, 
may still (1905) be discerned, particularly by a clump 
of lilac bushes still standing, which marks the south- 
west corner of the old house. 

One of the possessions, in the way of a relic, upon 
which the writer congratulates himself, is a piece of a 
timber from the famous Silas Condict house of Revo- 
lutionary times. 

There is scarcely a letter of which a transcript has 
appeared in our story of more interest to Morriston- 
ians than the following: 

"Morristown, April 7, 1777. 
"Dear Sir — This day I received your favor of the twenty- 
226 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

third ultimo, wherein you acquaint me that I 'have been 
appointed one of the Council of Safety. I am much con- 
cerned that you have so few members attending at this criti- 
cal season, and, although it is extremely difficult at present 
for me to leave home (my family being inoculated and not 
yet through the smallpox), yet I will come at any time rather 
than public busines should suffer, on notice being given me 
that it is necessary. Colonel DeHart told me to-day that the 
battalion had arranged its officers, and only wanted an 
opportunity to present it for commission. The colonel says 
that he has, at General Washington's request, examined sev- 
eral of the prisoners now in jail here, and that it will be best 
for the Council of Safety to sit in this county soon; and if 
this is thought proper I think it will be best to sit either at 
Mendham or at Captain Dunn's, in Roxbury, as the army is 
still at Morristown, and it will be inconvenient to sit there. 
I am, with great respect, your most obedient and humble 
servant, SILAS CONDICT. 

"His Excellency, Governor Livingston." 

As we learn from the foregoing, the county jail on 
the Morristown Green was full of prisoners, many of 
whom were Tories. In the jail there were also spies 
and dangerous characters. To the credit of Morris 
County it should be said, that most of its inhabitants 
were, during the Revolutionary period, warmly at- 
tached to the cause of freedom; and the intense pa- 
triotism of the county was chief among the considera- 
tions which attracted Washington with his army to 
this portion of the State, where for two winters they 
were encamped. Many incidents illustrative of the 
experiences of Morris County Tories are related. Of 
these only two or three can be given. The threat of the 

227 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

application of a coat of tar and feathers to an English 
emigrant, by some of the hot-blooded Morristown pa- 
triots, forced from this incipient Tory a public confes- 
sion in the Hanover Presbyterian Church, of the sin 
of toryism. So thorough was his conversion to the 
cause of freedom, that he made application to Parson 
Johnes, of Morristown, for the privilege of a similar 
confession before his influential congregation. This, 
he was informed, was superfluous, as one confession 
was sufficient to save him from the enforcement of the 
"repent or perish" rule adopted by Morris County vig- 
ilantes. 

Less fortunate, however, was one Thomas Milledge, 
a leading Hanoverian. Just before the commence- 
ment of the Revolution, he was elected sheriff of the 
county. Having scruples against taking the oath to 
support the cause of freedom, he declined to be sworn. 
From this negative attitude toward the popular cause, 
there was but a step to avowed toryism, and, consist- 
ently with his sentiments, he took that step. Hoping 
to save his large estate from confiscation to the uses of 
the New Jersey Province, he joined the enemy. His 
estate was, however, confiscated and he became an ex- 
ile from his home. He was commissioned as major in 
the British army, and in that capacity served through 
the Revolution. After the close of the war he settled 
in Nova Scotia. Several years afterward, Milledge 
visited Morris County, and, during his brief stay he 
was waited upon by a committee of citizens to ascer- 
tain his business. To their inquiries he boldly replied: 

228 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"When my business here is finished I will leave the 
country, but not before." He received no further mo- 
lestation. 

One of the most important personages in Morris 
County, prior to the commencement of the Revolu- 
tion, if indeed, he were not the most important, was Pe- 
ter Kemble, "the Honorable Peter Kemble, Esq.," as 
he was sometimes spoken of. He removed from New 
Brunswick, to Morris County, as early probably as the 
year 1760, and settled in Morristown, his residence be- 
ing situated on the Basking Ridge road, about four 
miles south of the Green. He became the owner of 
several hundred acres of land, which extended north- 
ward along the Basking Ridge road to a point within 
about a mile of the village of Morristown. Under the 
Provincial Governor he held for several years import- 
ant offices. Socially, he stood very high; in proof of 
which statement it may be said that one of his daugh- 
ters was the wife of General Gage, commander succes- 
sively of the British troops in Boston and New York. 
His eldest son, Samuel, was the collector of the port of 
New York, under British appointment. Peter Kem- 
ble was a Tory, as might naturally be expected. To 
save the Kemble estate from confiscation, his son and 
heir, Richard Kemble, took the oath of allegiance to 
the United States, although he, too, was without doubt 
a Tory at heart. During the Revolution — it was in the 
1777, while Washington was in Morristown — Peter 
Kemble, then old and infirm, was cited before the 
Court of Quarter Sessions, by order of the comman- 

229 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

der-in-chief, to answer the charge of aiding the en- 
emy; his alleged offense being the circulation of the 
proclamations of the brothers Howe. These procla- 
mations of the British commanders, it will be remem- 
bered, offered a free pardon to all rebels who should 
lay down their arms, and complete protection of per- 
son and property to those who should take the oath 
of allegiance to Great Britain. 

For some reason, Peter Kemble was discharged, 
presumably because his son, Richard, who was techni- 
cally, at least, an adherent of the cause of freedom (and 
was legally so regarded), became responsible for the 
future conduct of his father. Passing over many facts 
of deep interest connected with the Kembles, it may 
be remarked, that the last survivor of the family, Eliz- 
abeth, the daughter of the original Peter Kemble, was 
among the organizers of St. Peter's Episcopal Church 
of Morristown. She died on the homestead in the 
year 1836. Four years later what then remained of 
the extensive Kemble estate, passed into other hands. 
The Kemble mansion stood somewhat farther down 
the lawn than the McAlpin house of the present. The 
slaves' quarters were a little to the rear of the house 
above mentioned. 

The entire family of Peter Kemble are buried on 
the grounds between the Basking Ridge road and the 
McAlpin house. A copse of trees indicates the loca- 
tion of the large stone lying horizontally on the 
ground, and only slightly elevated above its surface. 



230 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

From the stone, now broken in five pieces, the writer 
recently copied the following inscription. 

Within this enclosure 

Rest the remains of the following persons 

Let no one disturb their ashes 

PETER KEMBLE 

Born on the 12th of December, 1701 

Died the 23d of February, 1789 

ELIZABETH KEMBLE 

His wife, born the 12th day of April, 171 1 

Died the 30th of March, 1804 

ANN EDWARDS 

Born in Smyrna, in Asia Minor 

and died in July, 1808 

in the 80th year of her age 

RICHARD KEMBLE 

Son of Peter Kemble, born in August, 1733 

Died 13th of September, 1815 

ROBERT T. KEMBLE 

Son of Peter Kemble, born April 1, 1735 

and died 1st January, 1820 

ANN KEMBLE 
Daughter of Peter Kemble 

Born 9th of June, 1757 
Died 2d of September, 1820 
ELIZABETH KEMBLE 
Daughter of Peter Kemble 
Born 18th of December, 1753 
Died 16th of June, 1836. 

Among the large number of Tories and other pris- 
oners confined in the Morris County Jail, during the 
year 1777, was a minister of the Gospel, Rev. Isaac 
Brown. In the year 1747 Mr. Brown became the rec- 

231 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

tor of Trinity Episcopal Church, in Newark. In addi- 
tion to preaching, Mr. Brown practised medicine, a 
common thing for ministers to do at that period. 
Some of his parishioners objected to his presentation 
of bills for medical services rendered by him, on the 
ground that such services should have been included 
in his spiritual administrations. During the Revolu- 
tion Mr. Brown continued a loyal adherent of the 
King of Great Britain, and in consequence of his 
avowed toryism he was taken to Morristown and there 
confined in the county jail. After his release he went 
over to New York, then occupied by the British army. 
In the year 1784 Mr. Brown removed to Nova Scotia, 
where three years later he died. 

In obedience to a summons from Washington, there 
arrived in Morristown about the middle of April, in 
the year 1777, an American officer of no inconsider- 
able note; it was Captain Daniel Morgan. During the 
preceding winter, Washington, by special solicitation 
from the United States Congress, had secured the pro- 
motion of Morgan to a colonelcy. This he had done 
with a view to the gathering and organization, by 
Captain Morgan, of a body of 500 picked men from 
the different regiments composing the army, active, 
hardy men, accustomed to the woods and skilful in the 
use of the rifle. These men were to constitute a select 
corps of sharp-shooters. The early military experience 
of the commander-in-chief had taught him the value 
of such a corps, in frequently turning the tide of bat- 
tle. In pursuance of orders from Washington, the 

232 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

requisite number of men were gathered and organized 
for the purpose named. The command of this corps 
was given to Colonel Morgan, his lieutenant-colonel 
and major being, respectively, Richard Butler and Jo- 
seph Morris, both of whom were promoted from cap- 
taincies. Under date of June 13, in the year 1777, 
Washington wrote Colonel Morgan: "The corps of 
Rangers, newly formed and under your command, are 
to be considered as a body of light infantry, and are to 
act as such, for which reason they will be exempted 
from the common duties of the line." In his official 
reports and correspondence the commander-in-chief 
bore frequent testimony to the great value of Mor- 
gan's sharpshooters in several engagements in New 
Jersey and elsewhere. "They constantly advanced up- 
on an enemy far superior to them in numbers and well 
secured behind strong redoubts," was Washington's 
report to Congress concerning this corps in one of the 
engagements in New Jersey. 

In a communication to General Gage, an American 
officer, to whom Washington had sent Morgan's 
corps for special service, the commander-in-chief said: 
"This corps I have great dependence on, and have 
no doubt they will be exceedingly useful to you as a 
check given to the savages, and keeping them within 
proper bounds, etc." 

"I can get away easily enough if I wanted to," re- 
marked a stout, rugged-looking fellow, who had been 
arrested in Rockaway on suspicion of being a spy. He 
was on his way to the Morris County Jail, in charge 

233 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

of James Kitchel, who was then about twenty years of 
age. "If he (the suspected spy) attempts to run, or to 
come toward you, shoot him down," had been the 
instructions of Squire Abraham Kitchel to his son, 
before the latter started for Morristown with the pris- 
oner. James Kitchel was mounted on a good horse, 
and, in accordance with instructions, he compelled the 
supposed spy to walk a certain distance in advance of 
him. Young Kitchel, as his father knew, was one of 
the best shots in the county. The prisoner had gone 
submissively enough until Morris Plains, only two 
miles distant from Morristown, was reached, when the 
conversation between the two above alluded to began. 

"Well, try it then," was Kitchell's reply to the pris- 
oner's remark about escaping. 

"But I don't want to get away," said the suspected 
spy. "Let me walk alongside of you. I don't like to 
be driven along this way. 

"Keep your distance, or I'll blaze away," declared 
Kitchel, instantly poising his gun to suit the action to 
the word; and the prisoner prudently kept his distance 
until he was under lock and key in the jail on the 
Green at Morristown. 




234 





CHAPTER XIII. 

"Come then, religion, holy, heaven-born maid, 
Thou surest refuge in our day of trouble." 

T was evidently in the early part of the 
year 1777 that about eighty Hes- 
sians, and ten or more Tories were 
brought, as prisoners of war, under 
a strong guard of state militia, to 
Morristown. They had been cap- 
tured a few days previously at 
Connecticut Farms, by two or three companies of 
New Jersey soldiers ; not, however, until, in con- 
sequence of their stubborn resistance, several of 
the enemy had been killed and wounded. These 
prisoners of war, a portion of them, at least, were 
placed in the county jail, on the Green. As these Hes- 
sians and Tories were all mounted when captured, 
their horses proved an important acquisition to the 
resources of the patriots of Morris County. 

It has often been said that during the Revolution, 
the foot of no Britisher, except he were a spy, or be- 

235 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

longed to some mounted marauding detachment, ever 
pressed the soil of Morris County; and this is true, 
with some modification, however. A British officer 
visited the county seat of Morris in the year 1777, 
while Washington and his army were encamped there. 
With other redcoats he had been captured at the bat- 
tle of Princeton, and brought as a prisoner of war, by 
the American army, to the camp at Lowantica Valley, 
where he and the other captives were confined under 
guard, either in private houses in the vicinity, or in 
cabins erected in the midst of the camp for that par- 
ticular purpose. The officer of whom we are speaking 
was confined in the house of a resident by the name 
of Munson. His antipathy to the army of Washing- 
ton, and the American people in general, was of the 
rankest sort, and this was the cause of no little trouble 
between him and his captors. Suspicion that his cap- 
tors would administer poison to him in his food, was 
one of the forms this Britisher's antipathy assumed, 
and as a means of circumventing the imaginary de- 
signs for his untimely removel, it was his habit to wipe 
with the skirt of his coat the plate on which his meals 
were served. He seems, however, to have had no 
fear of being poisoned in consequence of the use of 
applejack, for on the occasion of this visit to Morris- 
town he imbibed so freely, and became so completely 
intoxicated, as to be irresistibly possessed with the de- 
sire to make his escape from the single guard who at- 
tended him. 

The writer is at present unaware at which of the 
236 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

famous hostelries in Morristown, Arnold's or Dicker- 
son's (the latter of which was then kept by Robert 
Norris, Captain Peter Dickerson, the owner, being ab- 
sent, engaged in the service of his country), the thirsty 
redcoat procured his applejack; the effect, no doubt 
would have been the same wherever the liquor was 
imbibed. As a punishment for his attempt to escape, 
the British officer, after returning to camp, was 
flogged by American soldiers. This called forth from 
the irate Britisher a perfect storm of curses upon his 
enemies, supplemented by the words: "As to the flog- 
ging part of it, I did not mind that; but to be put 

through the operation by these rebels, that is 

more than flesh and blood can bear." 

Reference has been made in a previous chapter to 
the circumstance that while, in the year 1777, the 
Presbyterian and Baptist churches (and the court- 
house, also, it should be added) were used as hospitals, 
"Parson Johnes's" congregation worshiped in private 
houses, and, when the weather was suitable, in the 
open air. In the orchard to the rear of the parson- 
age, where these open-air Sunday services were held, 
the benches were placed in semi-circular form, Dr. 
Johnes occupying a central position from which he 
could be advantageously heard by his devout listeners. 
That Washington and other American officers and 
soldiers occasionally attended the open-air services, 
held in the orchard to the rear of the Presbyterian par- 
sonage, is now too well authenticated to question. It 
is related that while the general, seated one Sunday in 

237 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

his camp chair, conveyed by his orderly from the Arn- 
old tavern to the place of worship in the orchard, a 
woman with a small child in her arms entered the 
grove. There being no available seat for her, Wash- 
ington rose, and with the quiet dignity which invaria- 
bly characterized his deportment, offered his camp 
chair to the encumbered young mother. This is a 
simple incident, but it nevertheless most clearly exhib- 
its the better side of Washington's character, and in- 
creases rather than diminishes admiration of the true 
greatness of "the Father of his Country." 

In a variety of ways Washington during his sojourn 
in Morristown, in the winter of the year 1777, had 
been severely tried. The privations and sufferings of 
his beloved soldiers, which he was powerless to ame- 
liorate; the loss of valuable officers and private citi- 
zens; the awful scourge of smallpox in the army and 
among the people, scores of whom were succumbing 
to the dire disease; the prevalence of other diseases 
scarcely less fatal in their consequences; the decima- 
tion of the ranks of his army by expiration of the term 
of enlistment of his men, and by frequent desertions; 
the perplexities invariably incident to the command 
of a military force, engaged, as in this instance, in a 
palpably unequal struggle — these were the causes of 
a depression of spirit on the part of the commander- 
in-chief, which only appeal, (as he came at last to real- 
ize) to a higher than merely human power could ade- 
quately relieve. To that higher power, Washington, 



238 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

like many before and since, turned in his extremity 
for support and consolation. 

It was presumably, while experiencing the depres- 
sion of spirit consequent upon the suggested multi- 
plicity of difficulties confronting him, that the com- 
mander-in-chief, one morning, after his accustomed 
daily inspection of camp at Lowantica Valley, called 
upon "Parson Johnes," at his home. These two men 
were no strangers to each other; neither was this the 
initial visit to the Presbyterian parsonage of the com- 
mander of the American army, encamped at the coun- 
ty seat of Morris. Association in the work of devising 
means and methods for the control of the smallpox 
and other diseases in the army and in the village ; oc- 
casional, and perhaps frequent, attendance upon re- 
ligious services conducted on Sunday by the beloved 
pastor of the only Presbyterian church then in Mor- 
ristown; and association, also, in the important delib- 
erations at the Presbyterian parsonage of the New 
Jersey Council of Safety, in which both Washington 
and Dr. Johnes had participated, had doubtless result- 
ed in a mutual acquaintance of these two men, which 
had ripened into a friendship of no ordinary character. 
It was on a morning of the week previous to the semi- 
annual celebration of the Lord's Supper in the Pres- 
byterian church, that Washington drove up to the 
home of Dr. Johnes. He left his handsome bay horse 
in the charge of his mounted orderly, and with stately 
but heavy tread, ascended the steps of the front veran- 
da and lifted the old fashioned brass knocker on the 

239 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

door, whose short, distinct rap would gain him ad- 
mission. The usual preliminaries attended to by hos- 
tess and host, the following conversation ensued be- 
tween them: 

"Doctor," said Washington, "I understand that the Lord's 
Supper is to be celebrated with you next Sunday. I would 
learn if it accords with the canons of your church to admit 
communicants of another denomination?" 

"Most certainly," replied the clergyman. "Ours is not the 
Presbyterian table, general, but the Lord's table, and we 
hence give the Lord's invitation to all his followers, of what- 
ever name." 

"I am glad of it," declared Washington; "that is as it 
ought to be; but as I was not quite sure of the fact, I 
thought I would ascertain it from yourself, as I propose to 
join with you on that occasion. Though a member of the 
Church of England, I have no exclusive partialities." 

Having been assured by Dr. Johnes of a most cor- 
dial welcome, Washington was among the participants 
in the memorial service of the following Sunday, ob- 
served under the trees of the orchard in the rear of 
the parsonage. Who that has experienced the sooth- 
ing, sustaining and inspiring effects of the sincere 
commemoration of the sacrificial love of Jesus, can for 
a moment doubt that the commander of the patriot 
army returned to headquarters with a heart relieved of 
its burdens, because those burdens had been deliber- 
ately, and in response to Divine invitation, rolled upon 
the heart of the Infinite Burden Bearer? This com- 
memoration of the Lord's death was probably the 

240 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

only ocasion on which Washington, during his public 
career, participated, outside of his own church, in such 
a service. 

The gambling evil became so prevalent among the 
officers and soldiers of the American army while en- 
camped in Morristown and vicinity, that Washington 
issued a general order, prohibiting playing with cards 
and dice, even for amusement; since, if this were per- 
mitted, it would be next to impossible to distinguish 
between playing for diversion and playing for gain. 

"Officers attentive to their duty will find abundant employ- 
ment in training and disciplining- their men, providing for 
them and seeing that they appear neat, clean and soldierlike,. 
Nor will anything redound more to their honor, afford them 
more solid amusement, or better answer the end of their 
appointment, than to devote the vacant moments they may 
have to the study of military authors." 

If ever the practical wisdom of the American com- 
mander in the management of men was exhibited, it 
was in this paragraph of his general order, in which, 
as a substitute for the pernicious gambling he sought 
to prevent, he recommended something alike interest- 
ing and essential. The closing words of this general 
order were: 

"The adjutant-general is to transmit copies of this order 
to the different departments of the army. Also, to execute 
the same to be immediately published in the gazettes of each 
State, for the information of officers dispersed on the recruit- 
ing service. 

"By his excellency's command, 

"MORGAN CONNOR, Adj. pro tern." 

241 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

This order was dated: "Headquarters, Morristown, 
8th May, 1777." 

It must not for a moment be supposed by the read- 
ers of this story, that the attention of Washington, 
■during the sojourn at the Arnold Tavern, in the winter 
of the year 1777, was wholly occupied with the adjust- 
ment of the local difficulties already mentioned. Mili- 
tary movements of no insignificant character were 
meanwhile devised and conducted under the supervi- 
sion of the alert commander-in-chief. In confirma- 
tion of this statement the following extract from a let- 
ter of Washington is presented; it was written soon 
after his arrival in Morristown : 

"I have the satisfaction to say that General Philemon 
Dickerson's behaviour, in an action that happened near 
Somerset Courthouse, on Mill Stone River, reflected the 
highest credit on him; for, though his troops were all raw, 
he led them through the river, middle deep, and gave the 
enemy so severe a charge that, although supported by three 
field pieces, they gave way and left their convoy of forty 
wagons and upward of one hundred horses, most of them of 
the English draft breed, and a number of sheep and cattle 
which they had collected." 

It may have been some time in the month of Febru- 
ary, after the arrival of Washington in Morristown, 
that he stationed strong detachments of Continental 
troops and State militia in the vicinity of Pluckemin 
and Quibbletown, in Somerset County. The militia 
were in command of General William Winds, of Morris 
County. These troops, who were quartered in New 

242 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Brunswick, were designed to keep close watch of the 
movements of the enemy and to protect that portion of 
the state. Several severe skirmishes occurred between 
the American and British forces, in which the militia, 
under the bold and impetuous Winds, behaved with 
great bravery. Of one of these engagements, , an 
American officer gave an interesting account in the 
New Jersey Gazette, of March the eighteenth, in the 
year 1777. 

The engagement took place "near Quibble or Squabble- 
town," and the officer commanding 2,000 of the enemy "is 
under arrest, for undertaking, like Don Quixote, to do 
impossibilities. He. instead of marching directly to Bruns- 
wick, which he might have done, must needs go fourteen 
miles out of the direct road to take prisoners General Max- 
well and his party at Sparktown, and to make his triumphant 
entry into Brunswick, leading his captives in chains, like an 
old Roman general, in which he found his fatal mistake when 
too late to remedy it, for he found that he had surrounded a 
nest of American hornets, who soon put his whole body to 
flight." 

On Sunday, the eighteenth day of May, in the year 
1777, Rev. Timothy Johnes preached what was un- 
doubtedly a stirring sermon from the text: "But my 
servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, 
and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the 
land wherein he went; and his seed shall possess it." 
These words are found in the fourteenth chapter and 
twenty-fourth verse of the Book of Numbers. That 
the text and the sermon based on it, as delivered by 

243 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Dr. Johnes in the orchard to the rear of his residence, 
were suggested by existing local circumstances, is the 
opinion of the writer. That our readers may judge 
for themselves in the matter, the first page of the ser- 
mon notes used by Dr. Johnes, on the occasion allud- 
ed to, are herewith given, with abbreviations as em- 
ployed in them, completed by the writer, except where 
the writing of Dr. Johnes is illegible: 

"First, what is to follow the Lord fully?" Second, "What 
spirit is it which will dispose us to follow the Lord fully?" 
Third, "We are to follow the Lord fully in times of general 
apostacy. God will own and honor us in times of general 
calamity. Premise — it does not imply sinless perfection — 
sincere endeavor in gospel sense to follow the Lord fully is 
to follow him universally, not divided between ourselves and 

or between more mortification and less mortification. 

But regard the whole will, commandments and government, 
not partially, when it suits our ease or interest. We are not 
to be ashamed; in all the relations and stations of life, under 
all trials, as Caleb here, though threatened to be stoned, we 
should follow the Lord fully. We should follow the Lord 
boldly, courageously, public-spiritedly. Caleb knew of the 
giants and Anakims, of the cities great and fenced about, in 
the Land of Canaan — but he spoke public-spiritedly in oppo- 
sition to the ten cowardly, dastardly spies, and in behalf of 
the public good, etc." 

Among the most illustrious foreign officers who 
came to this country, and applied for service in the 
patriot army, was the Polish general, Thaddews Kos- 
ciusko. He brought with him a letter from Benjamin 
Franklin to Washington. He probably, and almost 

244 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

certainly, found Washington at the Arnold Tavern, in 
Morristown; it was during the early part of the year 
1777. "What do you seek here," inquired the Com- 
mander-in-Chief. "To fight for American independ- 
ence," was the noble reply. "What can you do," said 
Washington. "Try me," was the simple response of 
the Polish patriot. There was something in the bear- 
ing and deportment of Kosciusko, which won the con- 
fidence of Washington ; and he was appointed an aide- 
de-camp on the staff of the commanding general. 
Kosciusko proved a most trustworthy and efficient 
ally in the Revolution. It is said that Kosciusko 
taught the American officers the science of engineer- 
ing, by reason of which the efficiency of the patriot 
army was greatly augmented. 

"Alexander Hamilton, speaking of the close of the 
campaign of 1777, and of the way in which Washing- 
ton held the greatly superior forces of Cornwallis in 
severe check, says: 'There was persented the extra- 
ordinary spectacle of a powerful army straightened 
within narrow limits by the phantom of a military 
force, and never permitted to transgress those limits 
with impunity.' Irving speaks of the British army as 
'held in check by Washington and his handful of men, 
castled among the heights of Morristown'; and in 
closing his account of these memorable days, writes 
thus: 

'These ineffectual attempts of a veteran general to 
penetrate these fastnesses, though at the head of a 
veteran force, which would once have been deemed 

245 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

capable of sweeping the whole continent before it, 
were a lasting theme of triumph to the inhabitants; 
and it is still the honest boast among the people of 
Morris County that 'the enemy were never able to get 
a footing among our hills.' " 

Near the close of the month of May, in the year 
1777, the American army, which for about five 
months had been encamped in Morristown and vicin- 
ity, broke camp and marched away over the same 
route taken on its entrance into Morris County, at 
the opening of the year. For an account of the disas- 
trous campaign following the departure of Washing- 
ton and his patriot army from Morris County, we re- 
fer our readers to the pages of United States history. 

On the seventh day of August following the depar- 
ture of the American army from Morris County, the 
New Jersey Council of Safety held a meeting at Mor- 
ristown, perhaps in the courthouse on the village 
Green. Of the members of the council there were five 
present, including Governor Livingston and Silas Con- 
diet. The doorkeeper was John Martin. At this meet- 
ing Colonel John Munson was ordered to at once ar- 
rest and bring before the Council of Safety, John 
Troop, Peter Saunders and James Moody. These men 
had for some time been engaged in northern New Jer- 
sey in recruiting men for the British army. Moody 
alone, according to his own statement, had recruited 
100 men for the King's service, good pay and plenty 
to do, being the inducements held out to the recruits. 
Prompt action on the part of Colonel Munson and his 

246 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

regiment of militia, resulted in the speedy apprehen- 
sion of Troop and Saunders, and more than fifty Tory 
recruits. Moody made his escape and subsequently 
emigrated to Nova Scotia. 

On the eleventh day of August, Troop and Saun- 
ders were before the Council of Safety, at Morristown. 
It being ascertained that Troop was a lieutenant of the 
British Volunteers, he was sent under guard to Gen- 
eral Washington, for further examination. The 
choice between enlisting in the American navy, or 
standing trial upon the charge of aiding the enemy, 
was given to Saunders. Nine days of confinement and 
serious meditation in the county jail, on the part of 
this latter prisoner, resulted in his decision to enlist, 
and he was therefore sent under guard to Philadel- 
phia, where he would be received into the naval ser- 
vice. The Tory recruits captured with Troop and 
Saunders were placed in irons and marched under a 
strong guard of county militia to Burlington, by way 
of Trenton. 

In the months of September and October, in the 
year 1777, the New Jersey Council of Safety was in 
session at Princeton. On the fifth of October, this 
body ordered eleven prisoners to be sent to the Mor- 
ris County Jail, where they were to be kept in close 
confinement; and this was accordingly done. Among 
this batch of prisoners were James Iliff and John Mee. 
By authority of the Council of Safety, the Court of 
Oyer and Terminer for Morris County, tried a large 
number of cases (nearly a hundred, it is said) for of- 

247 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

fenses committed outside the county. The trial of 
these cases occupied nearly three weeks. Of the num- 
ber tried, thirty-five were sentenced to death and thir- 
ty were pardoned on condition of their enlistment in 
the American army. On the second day of Decem- 
ber following the trial of their cases, Iliff and Mee 
were hanged on the Morristown Green. Not far from 
the present soldiers' monument probably stood the 
gallows on which these two men were "hanged until 
they were dead." Before their execution, Iliff and Mee 
were earnestly exhorted by Sheriff Carmichael to 
make a confession of their crimes, to which they in 
substance replied: 

"We arc guilty of no crime, save loyalty to the King of 
Great Britain; hence we have no confession to make." 

Governor Livingston, in a letter under date of Jan- 
uary 7, in the year 1778, addressed to the British gen- 
eral in command of the King's troops in New Jersey, 
said: 

"Iliff was executed after a trial by jury for enlisting our 
subjects, himself being one, as recruits in the British army, 
and he was apprehended on his way with them to Staten 
Island. Had he never been a subject to this State he would 
have forfeited his life as a spy. Mee was one of his company 
and had also procured our subjects to enlist in the service of 
the enemy." 

From a Morristown militiaman, who was on duty 
at the county jail when the thirty-five Tory prisoners 

248 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

previously spoken of were sentenced, we learn that 
orders were given by the officer in command of the 
guard, that the wives of the condemned Tories, who 
might so desire, should be admitted into the jail to 
take a farewell of their husbands. Among those who 
did this was one devoted wife, who polished her hus- 
band's shoe, knee and stock buckles, and also his 
shoes. She washed his linen and his white pantaloons, 
and brushed his coat and hat, that he might present a 
gentlemanly appearance on the gallows. All honor to 
the noble wife! Truly she was loyal to her matrimon- 
ial promise to take him "for better or for worse." The 
officer in command of the jail guard came to the jail 
on the morning appointed for the execution of the 
thirty-five Tory prisoners above mentioned, and said 
to them: 

"With two exceptions (those were Iliff and Mee), I offer 
you all a reprieve from the gallows if you will enlist in the 
American army for the remainder of the war. As fast as you 
say you will enlist you will be conducted under guard to the 
upper room of the jail, to remain there until your proper 
officer comes to enroll you and have you sworn." 

One by one, after a little hesitation, the entire batch 
of condemned prisoners said, "I will enlist," and they 
were all placed under guard in the upper room. The 
father of one of the men reprieved — he was a Tory 
Dutchman from Bergen County — came up to the jail, 
and the son, catching sight of him, put his head out of 
the window and said: 

249 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

"How do you do, father?" 

"What are doing up dere, my poy?" was the father's inter- 
rogative. 

"I am reprieved," said the son. 

"How's dat?" asked the father. 

"I had the offer, if I would enlist for the rest of the war, 
and I have enlisted," was the son's answer. 

"Listed among the rebels! I would rather have followed 
you to the gallows," was the old Dutchman's sturdy remark. 

"Take care, you old rebel," exclaimed one of the jail 
guard, as he leveled his musket at the father, "or we will 
hang you up where your son was to go." 

Upon this the Bergen County Dutchman beat a 
hasty retreat from the Green, much to the amusement 
of those who witnessed the scene. 

Another important case tried in the courthouse on 
the Green at Morristown, in the month of December, 
of the year 1777, was that of Alexander Worth, who 
was charged with "coming out of and going into the 
enemy's lines without the license required by law." He 
had been captured in Woodbridge, and was taken be- 
fore the Council of Safety, then in session at Trenton. 
Careful examination of the prisoner disclosed the fact 
that he was a tory soldier of the British army, found 
within the American lines. By order of the Council 
of Safety, Worth was sent under guard to Morris- 
town, where he was tried on suspicion of being a spy. 
He was found guilty, and was given the choice of be- 
ing burnt in the hand or enlisting in the Continental 
army to fight against the King. 

"Death is preferable to fighting against the King," 
250 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

was the heroic reply. He was, therefore, branded in 
the hand. The painful operation was performed by 
Sheriff Carmichael, of Morris County. The prisoner's 
hand and arm were securely fastened to a block of 
wood expressly prepared for the purpose, and the hot 
iron was then applied by the county official. Worth 
afterward returned to Staten Island. 

Some of the more responsible Tories confined in 
the Morris County Jail at the period under considera- 
tion, were released from custody, on condition that 
they would remain within a mile of the courthouse, 
and return to jail when wanted by the authorities. 
Other prisoners from Bergen County were permitted, 
in compliance with their petition to the county court, 
to reside in Morris Township on parole ; not, however, 
until they had given bonds that they would remain 
within one mile from the county jail. In response to 
their petition to the court, three prisoners from Essex 
County, were permitted to go to their own county jail, 
on condition that they should bear the expense. Sev- 
eral prisoners escaped from the old jail on the Morris- 
town Green ; three in the month of December, of the 
year 1778, who were advertised by the sheriff. 




251 




CHAPTER XIV. 

"All desp'rate hazards courage do create, 
As he plays frankly who has least estate; 
Presence of mind, and courage in distress, 
Are more than armies, to procure success." 




local 



HE New Jersey Council of Safety, 
composed of his excellency the Gov- 
ernor, and twelve or more represen- 
tative citizens, selected from vari- 
ous sections of the State, was a 
migratory body, so to speak, mov- 
ing about from place to place as 
seemed to require. During the 
1778, this important official body 
in Morristown. The mention of 



exigencies 
years 1777 and 
sat several times 
some of the local matters brought before the Coun- 
cil of Safety, while sitting at the county seat of 
Morris, may very appropriately be prefaced by a 
few words quoted from a local historian, and appear- 
ing in connection with his account of the counterfeit- 
ing operations in Morris County by Samuel Ford, and 

252 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

his highly respectable accomplices, just prior to the 
commencement of the Revolution. "We would fain 
pass by it, but truth is inexorable and the historian has 
no choice." 

From the historically invaluable minutes of the 
Council of Safety, the following extracts are selected 
and presented, with their respective dates affixed: 

June 18, 1777 — "John Drummond, a prisoner committed by 
Captain O'Harra, was discharged upon taking the oath of 
abjuration and allegiance, there being no evidence against 
him." 

June 21, 1777 — "Benjamin Morgan, Esq., a prisoner in 
Morris County (committed by order of his excellency, Gen- 
eral Washington), petitioned to be removed from prison to 
some private house. Ordered that the said Benjamin Morgan 
be removed to the house of the widow (second wife of Mat- 
thew Lum) Jemima Lum, in Morristown, and there to 
remain or within one hundred yards thereof until further 
order of the Governor and Council of Safety or otherways 
discharged by due course of law; on his giving bond of two 
thousand pounds to remain there till discharged as above, 
which bond was executed accordingly." 

June 21, 1777, afternoon session — "Mr. Peter Mackie being 
summoned before the Governor and Council as suspected 
of being disaffected to the State, and was offered the oaths 
of Abjuration and Allegiance and refusing the same, and 
appearing to be too dangerous to be suffered to go at large, 
was ordered to be committed to Gaol. * * * 

"Peter Mackie offering to take the oaths after the warrant 
of commitment was made out, was sworn accordingly and 
discharged." This was evidently the identical Peter Mackee 
from whose land a Morristown "school hous" was removed 
in the year 1771, by order of the trustees of the Presbyterian 
church. 

253 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

June 28, 1777 — "Robert Norris appeared before the board 
pursuant to citation and took the oaths of Abjuration and 
Allegiance to the government, as established by the Legis- 
lature of the State." Mr. Norris, it may be remarked, kept 
the Dickerson tavern while Captain Peter Dickerson, its 
owner, was absent in the military service of his country. 

July 3, 1777 — "The petition of Ben-Jamin Morgan, now in 
confinement in Morristown, was read, setting forth that he 
is desirous to take the oaths of abjuration and allegiance 
agreeably to law, and is willing to be circumscribed in his 
boundaries, and laid under such penalties as the board may 
think necessary; and praying that he may be permitted to 
return home. Agreed, that as the petitioner was appre- 
hended by order of his Excellency General Washington, he 
is to be considered as a military prisoner, and therefore that 
the said petition be referred to the General." 

August 21, 1777, afternoon session — "Agreed, that the Gov- 
ernor direct Major Benoni Hathaway to deliver the field- 
pieces and appurtenances, and also the powder you are to 
receive for the public use, to the commanding officer of the 
militia stationed along the frontiers near Staten Island, or to 
his order, taking his receipt or the receipt of the person by 
him authorized to receive it. * * * 

"Mr. Kimble having been cited to appear before the board, 
informed the Governor by letter that he was, through indis- 
position of body, unable to attend. Ordered, that Justice 
(Benjamin) Halsey calling to his assistance another of the 
magistrates of the county of Morris, do wait upon the said 
Peter Kimble and take his recognizance to appear at the 
next Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, to be 
held for the said county, and in the mean time to be of good 
behaviour." 

With the gradual approach of autumn, in the year 
of 1777, with its more bracing- air, the smallpox epi- 

254 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

demic, which for a period of nearly six months had 
raged uncontrolled among the inhabitants of Mor- 
ristown, began to subside, and by September i had so 
far ceased from its ravages that all fear of its continu- 
ance had passed away. 

That some of the sick and wounded soldiers of the 
departed American army were, however, still in Mor- 
ristown, is evidenced by the following extract from 
the minutes of the trustees' book of the Presbyterian 
Church, under date of September 16, 1777: 

"Agreed that Mr. Conklin, Mr. Tuthill, Mr. Lindsly and 
Mr. Stiles, or any two of them, wait upon some of the Doc- 
tors of the Hospital in Morristown and apply for a resigna- 
tion of the meeting-house, and if obtained, then to apply to 
the Commanding Officer at this post to remove the troops 
thence, and at their discretion to proceed further in cleansing 
and refitting the house for Public Worship and to make 
report of their progress in the premises at their next meet- 
ing." 

There is considerable evidence, which will appear 
to the reader as he progresses, that the "Commanding 
Officer" at Morristown, at the period now passing un- 
der review, was none other than Colonel Benoni 
Hathaway. He seems to have had under his com- 
mand at the time, a regiment of militia. 

The first meeting of the New Jersey Council of 
Safety held in Morristown, in the year 1778, occurred 
on January 9. Of this meeting, however, there is no 
record, so far as the writer is aware. On January 17, 
at a meeting of the Council of Safety, held at the coun- 

255 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

ty seat of Morris, it was "agreed that Mr. Kinney (ex- 
Sheriff Thomas Kinney, probably) be allowed the 
sum of forty shillings for providing the Council of 
Safety with firewood, candles and so forth, while they 
sat at his house." If ex-Sheriff Thomas Kinney be 
the "Mr. Kinney" referred to in the above cited min- 
ute (and it is almost certain he is), then the meeting 
of the Council of Safety alluded to was perhaps held in 
the house now known as the "Dr. Lewis Condict 
place," situated nearly opposite the Lyceum, on South 
street, which, at the period under consideration, seems 
to have been owned and occupied by ex-Sheriff Kin- 
ney. 

Students of State history are aware of the enact- 
ment, soon after the commencement of the Revolu- 
tion, of a law fixing the prices at which certain speci- 
fied commodities should be sold by those engaged in 
trade. By not a few of the good citizens of New Jer- 
sey this law was regarded as arbitrary and unjust, be- 
cause, as they conceived, it was a plain violation of 
the natural law of trade, based upon the more funda- 
mental principle of personal liberty. It is very evident 
to one who carefully reviews the matter, that only 
as a temporary expedient, "a war measure," we would 
now term it, was the law in question justifiable. The 
independence of character exhibited by some of the 
Morris County remonstrants against this law, is truly 
refreshing to contemplate, however one may be in- 
clined to the opinion that they should have loyally ac- 
quiesced in its enforcement, as a temporary expedient. 

256 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

The Council of Safety while in session at Morristown, 
in the year 1778, was called upon to deal with several 
cases of the violation of the law alluded to. For ex- 
ample it was: 

"Ordered that Benjamin Pitney be summoned to attend 
this board, on Tuesday morning next at 10 o'clock. * * * 
Agreed that his excellency draw upon Mr. Jonathan Ballwin 
for 500 pounds weight of bullets of different sizes, if so many 
can be spared, to make up the deficiency in lead to be run 
into bullets at this place." 

"On the twenty-seventh of January, in the year 1778, Ben- 
jamin Pitney being called before the board, and it being 
proved upon oath that he had spoken disrespectfully of an 
act of the Legislature lately passed for regulating the prices 
of produce, and so forth; agreed, that he be bound for his 
appearance at the next Court of General Quarter Sessions of 
the Peace for the County of Morris, which he accordingly 
was, with James Puff Locey, his surety, in £300 each. 
Agreed, further, that the said Pitney be fined £6.0.0 for the 
breach of the said law in selling shoes for more than the 
stipulated price, and also that he forfeit the sum of four dol- 
lars and a half, the price the said shoes were sold at." 

If any reader of local history, not conversant with 
original sources of information, has ever doubted the 
oft-repeated statement of the meeting, during the 
Revolution, of the Council of Safety at the Presbyter- 
ian parsonage, he need doubt no longer; for at a meet- 
ing of the above mentioned body, held in Morristown, 
on the thirty-first day of January, in the year 1778, it 
was "Agreed that there be paid to the Rev. Mr. Jones 
for firewood and candles provided for the Council of 

257 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Safety, during- their sitting- at his house, the sum of 
£4.00'" 

In a communication from the Rev. Theodore L. 
Cuyler, D. D., published a few years since in the 
Christian Advocate, appear the words: "General 
Washington spent many an hour with my old ances- 
tor (Rev. Timothy Johnes) in that house (the Presby- 
terian parsonage) while he was quartered in Morris- 
town." 

It was not alone with local matters that the Council 
of Safety was required to deal, for under date of Feb- 
ruary twenty-sixth, in the year 1778, the following 
minute of one of their meetings held at the county seat 
of Morris is recorded: 

"Four deserters from the British army were * * * 
brought before the board. Whereupon, Agreed that they be 
delivered over to the disposal of General Pulaski, and that 
they be allowed sixty dollars for four stand of arms brought 
with them from the enemy." 

On the tenth of March, in the same year last men- 
tioned, 

"Samuel Titus was called before the board, and it being 
proved that he had asked for five pounds of butter more than 
the law allows, agreed that he be fined the sum of i6.o.o for 
the breach of the law in so doing and forfeit the sum of thir- 
teen shillings and nine pence, the price asked for the butter 
aforesaid." "Agreed that Gerardus Duychinck for certain 
goods sold to Joseph Lindly, upon his own confession, incur 
the following fines and forfeitures, viz., etc." 

258 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Such is a portion of the minutes of the meeting of 
the Council of Safety, held in Morristown on the first 
day of May, in the year 1778. A list of the fines and 
forfeitures imposed upon Mr. Duyckinck is also an- 
nexed, the aggregate amount of which must have im- 
pressed this Morristown merchant with the fact of the 
unprofitableness of violating a law legally enacted and 
with public sentiment supporting it. 

"Ordered that there be paid to Benoni Hathaway, for re- 
pairing carriages and moving field pieces by the order of the 
Council of Safety, the sum of £4.18.3." 

In the light of the foregoing extract from the min- 
utes of the body whose deliberations we are review- 
ing, it is evident that "bustling Benoni Hathaway" 
was a very useful man in the cause of freedom, at 
home no less than, as will in due time be seen, on the 
field of battle. That he was also a responsible man, 
the following minutes of the meeting of the same body 
held at Trenton on the seventeenth of March, in the 
year 1778, amply proves: 

"Agreed that Colonel Hathaway receive from Mr. Ogden, 
at Boontown, the 20,000 flints sent or to be sent into this 
State, by Mr. Archibald Mercer, from Boston (first paying 
to Ogden at Boontown for the cartage) and to be account- 
able for them when properly called upon." 

On the thirtieth day of April the Council of Safety 
was in session at Morristown again, and among the 
delicate matters disposed of was this: 

259 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

"That Mrs. Esther Troup, the wife of John Troup, to- 
gether with her child have leave to pass to her husband in 
the enemy's lines, upon condition that she do not return into 
this State during the present war, and that she take with her, 
her own and her child's wearing apparel." 

Commencing with May 6, and closing with August 
26, in the year 1778, the Council of Safety held no less 
than seven different meetings at Morristown. From 
the minutes of these meetings the following extracts 
arranged in chronological order, are presented: 

"Agreed that there be paid to Captain John Lindley the 
sum of £7.10.6 for the amount of what he paid to Doctor 
Jones for the cure of a wound his son John received in the 
service." 

"Agreed that Captain Arnold be allowed 40s. for the use of 
his room for the Council of Safety." So the New Jersey 
Council of Safety evidently sat within the walls of the fa- 
mous Arnold Tavern. 

"Agreed that Captain Morrison for enlisting as substi- 
tutes certain convicts whom he knew to have been before en- 
listed in their own right, be summoned to attend this board." 
In the light of this fact, which is only illustrative, how apt 
are the words: "Say not thou, What is the cause that the 
former days were better than these? for thou dost not en- 
quire wisely concerning this." 

"Agreed that Colonel Hathaway be desired to furnish a 
Sergeant and five men to guard a number of prisoners from 
this place to Gloucester, and that he direct them to draw ra- 
tions where they can and keep a regular account of their ex- 
penses, to be laid before the Council of Safety on their re- 
turn." 

"Ordered that 15,000 of the Flints, now in the posession 

260 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

of Major Kelsey, in Princeton, be sent for and lodged in the 
care of Colonel Hathaway at this place." 

''Agreed that the Gaol Guard at Morristown be increased 
with twelve additional men, and that Colonel Hathaway be 
ordered to detach so many men from his regiment for that 
purpose." 

"Agreed that Colonel Hathaway be authorized to deliver 
to General Winds, or his order, any number of the 15,000 
flints belonging to this State and lately lodged in his hands 
by order of this board." 

"July 13th, 1778, the Trustees (of the Presbyterian Church) 
met at Doer. Tuthill's; present, Mr. Conklin, Mr. Tuthill, 
Mr. Stiles, Mr. Lindsley, Mr. Mills and the President; 
agreed that Mr. Tuthill, Mr. Stiles and Mr. Mills be a com- 
mittee to wait on Doct. Draper and inform him of the Law 
of this State Relative to Billeting of Soldiers, and that the 
committee or either of them be Impowered to prosecute 
such Person or Persons who may take possession of the 
meeting house or other property of the Trustees contrary to 
the said Law, and that they make report what they have 
done in the premise to this Board at their next meeting." 

From the foregoing extract from the minutes of the 
Trustees' book of the Presbyterian Church of Mor- 
ristown, it is a fair inference that while the members 
of the "Old First Church" were second to none in ar- 
dent patriotism, and in devotion to the cause of free- 
dom, they were not unaware of their legal rights. 
While necessity required it, they were willing to wor- 
ship God under the blue canopy; but when that neces- 
sity ceased they preferred using a house of worship 
with a shingled roof, and comfortable seats and pro- 
tection from the elements. 

261 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Not alone from the minutes of the Council of Safe- 
ty, held in Morristown, do we glean information con- 
cerning the affairs of the county seat of Morris during 
the years of 1777 and 1778. In the New Jersey Ga- 
zette, also, through the medium of advertisements and 
announcements therein appearing, is light thrown up- 
on the condition of affairs in the patriot hamlet nestled 
among the hills of northern New Jersey. Under the 
date of February 21, in the year 1778, the following 
announcement appeared: 

"Any person properly recommended who understands the 
business of a riding-chair maker and would be willing to act 
in the capacity of a journeyman may meet with good encour- 
agement by applying to Frederick King at the postoffice in 
Morris-Town, who carries on the business. Said King would 
also be willing to take a young lad of a good character as 
an apprentice." 

Frederick King, who removed to Morris County 
from Long Island, in the year 1762, was the first post- 
master of Morristown, his son Henry succeeding him 
in the office. Frederick King seems, from the press 
announcement just quoted, to have been postmaster at 
Morristown in the year 1778, although a local histor- 
ian states that he was appointed to the office in the 
year 1782, by Postmaster-General Ebenezer Hazard. 
The building in which the postoffice was located stood 
about on the site of the present (1905) Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. 

As early as the year 1778, Morristown, with its pop- 
ulation of about 250 souls, had two silversmiths, or 

262 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

jewelers, as they are now called. They were Cary 
Dunn and John Dickerson. The latter was the son of 
Captain Peter Dickerson, and the following advertise- 
ment, in the New Jersey Gazette, which appeared 
under date of August 24, in the year 1778, will prove 
of interest: 

"Any person that understands the silversmith's business, 
or that of repairing watches, and inclines to work journey- 
work at either, will find good encouragement by applying to 
John Dickerson, at Morris-Town." 

The battle of Monmouth occurred on the twenty- 
eighth day of June, in the year 1778. Morristown was 
honorably represented in this battle of Moll Pitcher 
renown. An interesting reminder of this circumstance 
has survived in the form of the following announce- 
ment in the State press, under the date of July 24, of 
the year last mentioned: 

"Lost by Colonel Lindsley on the ground at Monmouth, 
in the action of the twenty-eighth of June, a light coloured 
bay mare, near 15 hands high, a small star in her forehead, 
three of her feet mostly white, paces and trots, is branded 
with a 9 on the left shoulder, shod all around, is 5 or 6 years 
old, has a bright eye and good courage. Whoever will deliv- 
er said' mare to the subscriber living near Morristown, shall 
have twenty dollars reward and all reasonable charges paid 
by Eleazar Lindsley." 

Eleazar Lindsley, of Morristown, was second major 
and lieutenant-colonel of the Eastern Batalion of Mor- 

263 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

ris County. In the Continental line he was lieutenant- 
colonel of Spenser's regiment. 

"Good encouragement will be given to any man who will 
hire as a journeyman for one, two, three or six months or a 
year. The person will be exempted from military duty. En- 
quire of Daniel Smith, saddler, Morris-Town," is another ad- 
vertisement which appeared during the year 1778, as also the 
following: 

"Strayed or stolen from the house of Captain Arnold in 
Morristown, on the 9th of August, a bay horse about 14 
hands and an inch high, branded with W E on the near thigh 
about 12 or 13 years old, trots and paces a small travel. Who- 
ever takes up said horse and brings him to Captain Arnold, 
in Morristown, or Israel Woodward living in Upper Free- 
hold, Monmouth County, shall have twenty dollars reward, 
and reasonable charges." 

During the same year, 1778, there appeared in the 
newspaper last mentioned, the following announce- 
ments and advertisements, the dates of which are 
omitted by the present writer : 

"Bond and Pain, of Morristown, advertise a quantity of 
dry goods and a few barrels of brimstone for sale. Persons 
indebted to the estate of Dr. Bern Budd, of Morris County, 
are notified to pay up. Anthony L. Bleeker, of Morris- 
town, notifies the public that he has indigo and Scotch snuff 
for sale, and John Van Court, of the same place, advertises 
a stolen horse. Ogden & Curtis, of Morristown, advertise a 
shop for the sale of dry goods, etc., next door to the Court 
House. Geradus Duyckinck, advertises a drug store in Mor- 
ristown. We hear from Morristown that his Excellency, the 
Governor, upon intelligence that a number of people in 
Schooley's Mountain had enlisted in the enemy's service, 

264 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

had several of them apprehended and committed to gaol. At 
the funeral of the widow of the Rev. Azariah Horton, in 
Chatham, the Rev. Timothy Johnes, of Morristown, offic- 
iated, preaching the sermon. Enquisitions against the follow- 
ing persons in Morris County, who had absconded and 
gone over to the enemy, were published: Thos. Milledge, 
Win. Demayne, Anthony Hollinshead, Stephen Skinner, 
Ashur Dunham, Ezekiel Beach, Adam Boyle, John Thorborn, 
Hugh Gain, Nicholas Hoffman, Joseph Conlife, John Stew- 
art and John Throp. The publication is authorized by Alex- 
ander Carmichael, Commissioner. In the same paper, Aaron 
Kitchell, Commissioner, published the following additional 
list: Philip Van Cortlandt, Edward, Charles and Richard 
Bowlby, Jacob Hylor, Humphrey Devenport, William How- 
ard, George Beaty, Thomas Huske, Lawrence Buskirk, Ja- 
cob Demarest, Samuel Ryerson, Isaac Hornbeck and Nicho- 
las Vreeland. Stephenson & Canfield, advertise a store in 
Morristown, opposite Captain Peter Dickerson's. Mary 
Moore, of Morristown, advertises rock salt. Nathaniel Lew- 
is, of the county seat, announces a horse strayed or stolen. 
Arnold, Kenny and Co., announce the opening of a store 
in Morristown, next door to Col. Henry Remsen's. Jacob 
Arnold offers for sale a farm between Mendham and Mor- 
ristown. John Dickerson, offered a reward of $200 for the 
arrest of thieves who robbed his silversmith shop in Morris- 
town." 

Of one meeting of the New Jersey Council of Safe- 
ty, it is highly desirable, owing to the intimate relation 
of a portion of its transactions to local interests, to 
speak particularly. This meeting was held at Spring- 
field, about ten miles southeast of Morristown, on 
Wednesday, the seventh day of January, in the year 
1778. There were present on this interesting occasion 

265 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

the following members: His excellency the Governor, 
Colonel Jacob Drake, Colonel Edward Fleming, Silas 
Condict, William P. Smith and Benjamin Manning. 
From the minutes of this meeting the following ex- 
tract is presented: 

"Ordered, that in addition to the orders already given to 
Mr. Caldwell, with respect to the erection of Beacons for 
the purpose of alarming the county in the case of invasion, 
he be further desired to direct that one be set up at Mor- 
ristown and another at Longhill, and one or two to the 
northward of New Ark, and that he be requested to appoint 
proper persons to take the care of and attend them and that 
the person so provided, shall be exempted, when known, 
from military duty." 

As a proof of the fact that the orders of the Council 
of Safety promulgated at their meeting at Springfield, 
on the date above mentioned, were promptly exe- 
cuted; and as an illustration, also, of the enterprise of 
the New Jersey press of the Revolutionary period, the 
following extract from the New Jersey Gazette of 
January 28, in the year 1778, will be found of special 
interest: 

"That near Morris Town a beacon forty feet high has 
lately been erected in form of a block house (with a six- 
pounder on the top) filled with dry wood and other combus- 
tible stuff, for the purpose of catching fire soon, in order to 
the more quick discharge of the cannon, on the report of 
which, and the light from the building, the country is to take 
the alarm, and those who do not turn out may, by their laws, 
be instantly put to death by their next neighbor, and escape 

266 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

with impunity. Buildings of a similar construction are also 
erected at Long Hill and on the heights at Bound Brook." 

From a life-long resident of Morristown, the pres- 
ent writer learns that for many years he has under- 
stood from information derived from an aged person, 
that in Revolutionary days there was a beacon sta- 
tion on the summit of what is now popularly known as 
"Fort Nonsense." This is mentioned as a corrobora- 
tion of the foregoing statement concerning the estab- 
lishment of a beacon station in Morristown, during 
the Revolution. 

Soon after the close of the Revolution, one Jonath- 
an Ruchman, who had served in the State militia, 
made application for a pension, the grounds upon 
which his claims were based being that, as he person- 
ally testified, he had "performed one month's duty 
near Morristown, at Fort Nonsense, Captain Cory, in 
May (1778). Was very loth to go on account of plant- 
ing corn. Before Monmouth battle." In view of the 
circumstance that during the Revolution the various 
companies of State militia were accustomed to render 
one month's service, alternately (as Ruchman's testi- 
mony implies), it is at least probable that other com- 
panies besides Captain Cory's performed their allotted 
month's service "near Morristown at Fort Nonsense" 
during the spring and summer of the year 1778. 

"Lossing in his "Field Book of the American Rev- 
olution" says that while in Morristown, in the year 
1848, he visited Fort Nonsense, where he saw the re- 

267 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

mains of what he terms "block houses;" and of "earth- 
works and ditches" also. The block houses of whose 
remains this famous author speaks were, as he sur- 
mises, large enough to accommodate a company of 
soldiers, and a company, as during the Revolution 
companies were composed, consisted of from fifteen to 
fifty men as circumstances required. Concerning the 
appearance of Fort Nonsense hill, in the year 1848, 
Lossing says: "The embankments and ditches, and the 
remains of the blockhouses of Fort Nonsense, are very 
prominent." 

Only one or two men, as may be reasonably inferred 
from the order of the New Jersey Council of Safety 
with regard to the establishment of a signal station 
"near Morristown," were required to "take the care 
and attend" to said station. From the testimony of 
John Ruchman, just quoted, taken in conjunction with 
the statement of Lossing, the reader will do no vio- 
lence to his reason, if he concludes, that there were on 
duty on Fort Nonsense hill, in the month of May, cer- 
tainly of the year 1778, an entire company of militia, 
composed of from fifteen to fifty men. This company, 
say of twenty-five men, it is very evident, was not re- 
quired at that point to attend to the signal station there 
established. What then was this company of State mi- 
litia there for, except for the protection of the county 
seat of Morris against British attack, daily anticipated 
by the inhabitants? And if that were the object of the 
presence of this company of militia and probably of 
other companies, during the spring and summer of the 

268 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

year 1778, on Fort Nonsense hill, is it not a most nat- 
ural conclusion that as a means of repelling the appre- 
hended British attack, rude earthworks were thrown 
up either by Captain Cory's company, or by one of the 
other companies which seem to have "performed one 
month's duty" there? 

On the northernmost and highest point of the 
mountain range terminating above and to the rear of 
the present Morris County Courthouse, at Morristown, 
may still (1905) be seen the gradually disappearing 
traces of what are generally conceded to have been 
earthworks, evidently "thrown up" or, more scientifi- 
cally expressed, constructed, for military purposes. A 
picture of a section — the southwesterly — of these 
earthworks may be seen in this volume. The photo- 
graph from which the accompanying picture was made 
was taken at about 7 o'clock on the morning of May 
8, of the present year. 

Two theories as to the origin of the earthworks on 
Fort Nonsense hill are entertained. One is, briefly 
stated, that they were constructed during the second 
encampment of the American army in Morristown, by 
order of Washington, to divert the attention of his 
soldiers from the privations and sufferings and home- 
sickness incident to that terrible winter. The other 
is, that they were constructed by the State militia 
during the spring and summer of the year 1778, for 
protection against anticipated British invasion of Mor- 
ris County. The writer frankly confesses that he is 
inclined toward the acceptance of the latter theory; and 

269 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

this inclination is encouraged by facts already men- 
tioned. 

That Washington would have set his soldiers to 
work on the summit of the hill to the rear of the Mor- 
ris County Courthouse, during one of the coldest win- 
ters ever experienced in this region, merely for their 
diversion, seems highly improbable. That these sol- 
diers, half fed and poorly clad, could have survived the 
extreme rigors of that winter, had they been employed 
as above suggested, seems still more improbable; in- 
deed, such a theory seems to border on the impossible. 
"Why," exclaimed a Morristonian not long since, as 
the popular theory concerning the origin of the earth- 
works on Fort Nonsense hill, was mentioned, "if 
Washington's soldiers had attempted to throw up 
earthworks on the summit of that hill in the winter of 
1779-80, every rag of their scanty clothing would have 
been blown from their bodies." 

The writer is of the opinion, however, that Fort 
Nonsense hill, with its rude fortifications thrown up 
probably by the State militia during the spring and 
summer of the year 1778, and its blockhouses erected 
probably at the same time, were utilized by Washing- 
ton during the winter of 1779-80, perhaps as a picket- 
post, or a signal station, or both. 

Mr. McClintock in "Topography of Washington's 
Camp of 1780 and its Neighborhood," says: 

"The facts adduced (by himself) concerning the beacon 
station prove, however, that the supposed useless 'fort' was 
of genuine and constant service to the patriot cause, and fur- 

270 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

nish additional grounds for the respect paid to the spot by 
the monument and the annual salutes. Washington must 
certainly have made some use of it, if only because of the 
shelter afforded by the buildings. The extant records men- 
tion as having definite locations at or near Morristown, the 
'provost guard' and the 'main guard,' the latter being the 
post of the detachments regularly sent from camp for picket 
duty in and around Morristown. Possibly one of these posts 
was located at Fort Nonsense." 

"Truth, in its own essence, cannot be 
But good." 

"Camp Valley Forge, April 16th, 1778. 

"Sir — I have desired the bearer, Lieut. Kinney, to 
call at Wick Hall and request Mrs. Wick to try if any 
of her keys will open my Father's under desk drawer 
but one, in order to get my Reaver hat Sold to Mr. 
Kinney, and to put some things in the drawer belong- 
ing to me which will be delivered by him. 

"You doubtless expect to received a budget of news 
on the arrival of a letter from Camp, herein; at this 
time, however, you will be disappointed, for our Camp 
affords no news, and I do not expect anything extra- 
ordinarv will be done till our reinforcements arrive. 
5,000 are expected next week from Virginia. As soon 
as they appear here, I expect the Jersey Brigade will 
be ordered to West Jersey. The Commissioners from 
ours and How's army met last week to settle a cartel 
for the exchange of Prisoners, but could not agree as 
the Enemy's Commissioners would not pledge the 
faith of the British nation for the faithful performance 

271 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

of the cartel but How's personal honor only, which by 
no means would answer, as How might be removed 
and then we might whistle for the performance of the 
exchange. This you may depend on that we have 
i ioo Prisoners besides Burgoyne's arm\ _nore than 
they have, so that an exchange on their flimsy princi- 
ples would never answer. 

"As to our situation, etc., etc., Doct'r Leddel has 
seen, and I suppose already informed you of it, to 
whom, with his Family, I desire to be particularly re- 
membered. You can show the Doctor my Letter, and 
at the same time I must desire he would write me 
word, as well how both your familys are, as how Poli- 
ticks go on in your part of the country, and also how 
Independence (my horse I mean) comes on. 

"I imagine you live quiet and peaceable to what you 
have done some time past. I reckon either you or 
Mrs. Wick would as soon part with your lives as to 
have another family as noisy as the one you was lately 
troubled with. However, be that as it will, I shall posi- 
tively make Wick Hall my Headquarters, at any /ate 
when I am so happy as to come into your corner of 
the globe, but when that will be God only knows; but 
if I am not killed or taken prisoner this campaign, I 
think it is very probable I shall have the pleasure of 
seeing you next Autumn. 

"I have grown exceeding fat and hearty and am, I 
think, as well as ever, except my arm and fingers 
which have not yet recovered their perfect usefulness. 

"Lieut. Kinney will satisfy you in any questions you 
272 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

think proper to ask him about the Army and his Ma- 
jor. 

"With my most respectful Complyments to Mrs. 
Wicks, Miss Tempe — Polly W'ick, not forgetting little 
Polly, and due regards to Mrs. Spencer and her fam- 
ily when you have an opportunity of seeing them. 

"Remain, Sir, 

Your Most Obedt hble Servt., 

JOS. BLOOMFIELD." 

Joseph Bloomfield, the writer of the above letter, 
was a major of Colonel Elias Dayton's Regiment, 3d 
Battalion (2d. Establishment) of New Jersey troops of 
the Continental Line. During the encampment of 
Washington's army in Morristown in the winter of 
the year 1777, Major Bloomfield was quartered in the 
family of Henry Wick. The above letter was ad- 
dressed to "Mr. Henry Wick, at Wick Hall, Morris 
County. Favored by Lieut. Kinney." Lieut. John 
Kinney was Ensign, afterward Second Lieutenant of 
the second company of Colonel Dayton's regiment. 

The following brief letter was written by Dr. 
Bloomfield, father of the major, and was directed to 
"Mr. Henry Wick, at Wick Hall, Morris Town: 

"Sir — We are all well and desire to be remembered to 
you and Family. Let my Boy have 30 wt. of Pork. 
Be so kind as to take care of my Gemmons (his horse, 
probably). I congratulate you upon ye good news 

273 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

from France. We will flogg ye Rogues yet. I hope 
we have gone through the worst of it. I am Sr 

Your humbl Servt 

MOSES BLOOMFIELD. 

"Princeton, May ye 7th, 1778." 

Moses Bloomfield was a Surgeon in the Continental 
Army, and had evidently enjoyed the hospitality of 
Mr. Wick during the first encampment of Washing- 
ton's army in Morris County. Major Joseph Bloom- 
field was Governor of New Jersey from the year 1801 
till the year 181 1. 




274 




CHAPTER XV 

"Across the old Morris Green they march 

And take the 'mountain road' 
To their winter quarters mid the hills 

And there make their abode. 

"With beat of drums and flying flags 

And never-ending tramp 
Of horse and man they pass to reach. 

That bleak mid-winter camp." 

Ballads of Nezv Jersey in the Revolution. 

OLLOWING the departure, in the 
month of May, of the year 1777, 
of the recuperated and inspirited 
American army from its comforta- 
ble winter quarters in Morristown 
and vicinity, event upon event, mil- 
itary and political, had successively crowded in the 
career of the newly cemented colonies. On the whole, 
these events had been positively favorable to the cause 
of freedom, and distinctly presaged its ultimate tri- 
umph upon the already consecrated soil of the Wes- 
tern Continent. 

27s 




HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Passing over minor successes of, and not a few re- 
verses to, the American arms, the surrender of the 
entire British army under Burgoyne at Saratoga, on 
the seventeenth day of October, in the year 1777, 
should be specially noted. The extreme privations 
and sufferings of the patriot army in its winter quar- 
ters at Valley Forge, were followed, in the subsequent 
February, by the acknowledgment on the part of 
France of the independence of the American colonies. 
An alliance between the two countries was also formed 
the sincerity of which was practically demonstrated by 
the dispatch, about the middle of the month of April, 
in the year 1778, of a French squadron to America, in 
command of Count D'Estaing. On the twenty-eighth 
day of June, in the year last mentioned, Washington, 
despite the peculiar odds against him, defeated the 
British army under Clinton at Monmouth, New Jer- 
sey, with great British losses in killed and wounded, 
augmented by many desertions from the enemy's 
ranks. D'Estaing failing to come to his support. Gen- 
eral Sullivan alone repulsed the British force under 
General Pigot at Quaker Hill, Rhode Island, with a 
loss of over two hundred on either side. At Kettle 
Creek, Georgia, the Carolina militia, under Colonel 
Pickens, signally defeated a force of Tories in com- 
mand of Colonel Boyd, the latter being among the 
slain. The capture, at midnight, on July 15, in the 
year 1779, of Stony Point, by "Mad Anthony" Wayne, 
sent a thrill of patriotic exultation through the colo- 
nies; and well it might, for with the loss in killed and 

276 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

wounded and prisoners on the part of the enemy, of 
more than six hundred, and of only fifteen killed and 
eighty-three wounded on the American side, this im- 
portant strategic position had been recaptured, liter- 
ally, at the point of the bayonet; that is to say, with- 
out the firing of a gun by Anthony's men. 

Wayne's characteristic report of the victory, dis- 
patched before daybreak of July 16, to the comman- 
der-in-chief, deserves mention; it was this: 

"The fort and garrison, with Colonel Johnson, are ours; 
our officers and men behaved like men who are determined 
to be free." 

"I do most sincerely declare that your assault on Stony 
Point is not only the most brilliant, in my opinion, through- 
out the whole course of the war, on either side, but that it is 
the most brilliant I am acquainted with in history," 

wrote General Charles Lee, to Wayne, after this mem- 
orable battle. 

Less important, perhaps, from a strategical point of 
view, and yet a brilliant achievement, was the capture, 
on the nineteenth day of August, in the same year, of 
Paulus, New Jersey, by Major Henry Lee, with 150 
of the British garrison as prisoners of war. Again was 
Sullivan successful, this time in western New York, in 
defeating a combined force of Indians and Tories at 
Chemung, on the twenty-ninth day of August, in the 
year 1779, and capturing immense quantities of much- 
needed corn. On the English coast, two British fri- 
gates, in the month of September of the last named 

277 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

year, surrendered to Paul Jones, whose remains, after 
more than a century's rest in French soil, thanks to the 
patriotic endeavors of a typical American are now in- 
terred in the soil of the land whose naval battles he 
helped to fight. 

The following brief letter, introduced, by reason of 
its tardy discovery by the writer, somewhat out of 
chronological order, will, as he believes, be found of 
such particular interest as to justify its introduction at 
this stage of our story. 
Dear Genl. 

My best compliments waits on your Hounor Lets 
you know that I Cald at your Qutrs. last Evening but 
as your Hounor was Not at Home would Gladly have 
Cald this morning but my Horse is so Lame he Can 
hardly go. If aney thing Special Should be much 
Oblgd to your Hounor to Let me know it by a Line 
and I will attend imdtly. 

I am Dear Sir your Most Obedient 
and Humble Servt 

ELEAZR LINDSLEY, Lt. Col. 
Minnisink, 

March nth, 1779. 
To Genl Hand. 

With the close of the campaign of the year 1779, the 
solution of the perplexing problem of selecting winter 
quarters for the decimated and fatigued American 
army, was assigned to Washington's efficient quarter- 
master-General, Nathanael Greene. Late in the month 

278 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

of November of the year above mentioned, General 
Greene was in Morristown, with a view to the exami- 
nation of grounds for the accommodation, in the ap- 
proaching- winter, of the patriot army. On the thir- 
tieth day of the same month, and of the same year, 
General Greene wrote one of the New Jersey quarter- 
masters that "we are yet like the wandering Jews in 
search of a Jerusalem, not having fixed upon a posi- 
tion for hutting the army." 

It appears that Greene had previously suggested 
two positions to Washington, "the one near Aquaca- 
nock, the other near Mr. Kemble's" about four miles 
south of Morristown. On reaching Morristown, in the 
month of January, nearly two years previously, Wash- 
ington had expressed his dissatisfaction with this local- 
ity as a position for winter quarters, in the following 
language, constituting a portion of one of his letters: 
"The situation (Morristown) is by no means favorable 
to our views, and as soon as the purposes are answered 
for which we came, I think to remove, though I con- 
fess I do not know how we shall procure covering for 
our men elsewhere." 

From the following subsequent communication of 
Greene to the same State quartermaster, we learn that 
between the two positions for winter quarters sug- 
gested and described by the former to the comman- 
der-in-chief, Washington chose Morristown, although 
his quartermaster-general preferred Aquacanock. 

"The general has fixed upon a place for hutting the army 
near Mr. Kimball's, within about four miles of this town. 

279 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

His reasons for this choice are unnecessary to be explained, 
but, whatever they are, they will prove very distressing to 
the quartermaster's department. * * * I beg you will set 
every wheel in motion that will give dispatch to business." 

If Washington had, at the opening of the year 1777, 
questioned the desirability of Morristown and vicin- 
ity as a suitable position for winter quarters, he was 
two years later in no doubt as to which of the two 
places suggested by his quartermaster-general, Aqua- 
canock or Morristown, to fix upon as the resting place 
of his army during the winter of 1779-80. The marked 
demonstration he had received of the ardent patriot- 
ism, and of the devoted loyalty of Morris County, to 
the cause of freedom, during the first encampment of 
his army here, was alone sufficient to have settled in 
his mind the question as to which of the two positions 
named he should select. But to one who has carefully 
examined the positions of the camping grounds act- 
ually selected, there appears the following additional 
and scarcely less potent reasons for such selection. 
These camping grounds, which were sufficiently re- 
moved from the village to insure freedom from annoy- 
ance by the unrestrained portion of the soldiery, were 
yet near enough to general headquarters for the con- 
venience of the commander-in-chief, and the subordi- 
nate officers who were required to be in daily com- 
munication with him. So far as protection from the 
severities of winter weather was concerned, finer posi- 
tions for the encampment of the several brigades of 
the patriot army could not have been chosen. As a 

280 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

position favorable for the repelling of attack by the 
enemy, even though with gr«*atly preponderating num- 
bers, it could not have been surpassed by any locality 
in Morris County, nor in the entire State, for that 
matter. When to these cons - derations there are added 
the fact of the excellent facilities afforded for the pro- 
curement of water, one of th i most indispensable req- 
uisites of the camp, as well a 1 so as the excellent means 
of intercommunication betw.en the eleven brigades of 
the American army, scatter :d as they were over an 
area of several square miles the wisdom of the selec- 
tion finally made is most admirable to contemplate, 
and exhibits military sagaci'y of the highest order. 

The camping grounds, 'is already stated by the 
quartermaster-general, were "about four miles" from 
Morristown, in a southwesterly direction. Access 
from the village of Morristown to the locality chosen 
was over the course of two roads, the Jockey Hollow 
road, then commencing at the southwestern corner of 
the Green, and the Basking Ridge road, then com- 
mencing a little southwest of the lower side of the 
Green. The latter road, was the one mostly used by 
the patriot army. 

On the southeastern slope of Kemble's (Kimball, as 
sometimes spelled by General Greene) Mountain, 
which strictly speaking, is the southwesterly portion of 
the mountain range terminating above and to the rear 
of the present Morris County Courthouse, Stark's bri- 
gade was encamped. This camp faced the Basking 
Ridge road, and lay about two-thirds of the distance 

281 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

up, between the road and the summit of the mountain 
to the northwest. The huts composing Stark's en- 
campment could be distinctly seen from the road be- 
low. The view from the site of Stark's brigade en- 
campment must have been an inspiration even to cold 
and hungry men, especially as the spring of the year 
1780 was seen approaching, with its signs of reviving 
nature. To the southwest as far as Bernardsville, to 
the northeast as far as Caldwell, and to the southeast 
for several miles the eye could reach, taking in with 
its enraptured survey, hill and valley and wooded and 
cleared lands, and constituting what is unsurpassed for 
beauty and grandeur and wide extent of varied coun- 
try. The eye-witness of this magnificent scene has a 
feeling akin to that of the disciples of the inner circle, 
when they exclaimed: "Lord, it is good for us to be 
here; if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles: 
one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias." 

On the slope of the mountain mentioned, there now 
stands a monument marking the site of the camping 
ground of Stark's brigade of about (at its maximum 
strength) 800 men. On the bold front of this rugged 
monument (so strikingly symbolic of the character of 
the famous officer whose name it perpetuates) appears 
the following laconic inscription: "Stark's Brigade Oc- 
cupied This Slope." By whom, and under what cir- 
cumstances was this substantial monument erected, do 
our readers inquire? Following is the answer to such 
inquiry. The present owner of the land on which 
Stark's brigade was encamped in the Revolution, is 

282 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Emory McClintock, LL. D., who has a fine residence 
a short distance to the northeast of the camping 
ground. In the construction of the road now passing 
the Stark monument, it was necessary to disturb three 
piles of stones once included in the chimneys of Rev- 
olutionary soldier-huts. These stones, in accordance 
with Mr. McClintock's instructions, were sacredly 
gathered, and as sacredly built into the monument 
now marking the site of the encampment of the bri- 
gade of the New England general, who, on the eve 
of the battle of Bennington, fought on the sixteenth 
day of August, in the year 1777, promised his men the 
plunder of the British camp. And, as he entered the 
battle next day, he exclaimed: "Now, my men! There 
are the redcoats! Before night they must be ours, or 
Molly Stark (his wife) will be a widow." Molly Stark, 
however, was not made a widow; for "before night," 
the British were "ours." For his gallantry at Ben- 
nington, Congress made Stark a brigadier-general. 

"I needed a road at about that level, and laid it out 
through the woods so as to disturb only three piles of chim- 
ney stones — those, namely, which remained in rows where 
they fell after serving in the hut-chimneys of the soldiers. 
All of the stones visible in the monument, except the one 
inscribed, came from those three piles, and all the stones in 
the three piles form part of the monument," 

is Mr. McClintock's modest statement to the writer. 
Propriety forbids, for the present, the adequate ex- 
pression of the writer's admiration of the practical pa- 
triotism exhibited in the timely erection of the Stark 

283 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

monument, as a marker of the brigade encampment in 
the Revolution, of one of the most famous of its offi- 
cers. 

"For as the light 

Not only serves to show, but render us 

Mutually profitable; so our lives, 

In acts exemplary, not only win 

Ourselves good names, but do to others give 

Matter for virtuous deeds, by which we live." 

Fain would the writer linger much longer upon this 
phase of our story; but this would be to deprive other 
phases of the attention due them. Only this will be 
added to what has already been said: To the east of 
the Stark brigade encampment a short distance, was 
an excellent spring, still flowing, which furnished the 
soldiers with water, the spring having been enlarged 
by the sinking of a hogshead. 

If ever the writer distinctly heard the voice of in- 
dwelling divinity saying to him, "Put off thy shoes 
from off thy feet, for the ground whereon thou stand- 
est is holy ground," it was when for the first time, a 
few weeks since, he looked upon the unmistakable 
traces, still visible, of several of the dug-outs on the 
mountain slope, about a hundred and fifty feet to the 
northeast of the Stark monument, marking the site of 
some of the rude huts occupied in the winter of 1779- 
80 by a portion of Stark's brigade. And scarcely less 
enthusiastic over this accidental "find" was William A. 
Dunn, the superintendent for a period of more than a 

284 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

quarter century of the Morris Aqueduct, who had pre- 
viously pointed out to the writer the sacred spots. 

Perhaps it should here be said that the parade 
ground of Stark's brigade was a somewhat level tract 
of land below the camping ground and between it and 
the Basking Ridge road. The following extract from 
a general order issued by Washington to his army 
during its encampment southwest of Morristown, will 
serve, among other purposes, as an indirect verification 
of the statement made in the present chapter concern- 
ing the traces of "dug-outs" on the mountain-side 
above the Basking Ridge road: 

"Where huts have been built on the declivity of Hills and 
are Sunk into the ground, particular care is to be taken to 
have the Snow removed and trenches dug Round to carry off 
the water, without which the Soldiers will sleep amidst Con- 
tinual damps, and their Health will consequently be injured; 
this must be done Immediately." 

This order was issued on the sixteenth day of Feb- 
ruary, in the year 1780. 

A little more than half way (or about two and a half 
miles) from the Morristown Green, down the Jockey 
Hollow road, and on the left and in sight of the road, 
was the camping ground of Clinton's New York bri- 
gade. The camp seems to have run parallel to 
the Jockey Hollow road. The camping ground 
of this brigade may be more definitely located 
by the reader familiar with the neighborhood, 
if it be stated that its site is situated a little 

285 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

to the northeast of what has for many years been 
known as the 'Tuttle House," owned at present by the 
Morris Aqueduct company. The level piece of ground 
just northeast, and in the front and rear of the "Tuttle 
House," seems to have been used as the parade ground 
of this brigade. The spring from which the soldiers of 
Clinton's brigade procured water for camp purposes, 
may still be located; it lies at the base of the hill on 
which the encampment was situated, and but a short 
distance to the rear, in a southeasterly direction. This 
spring is still (1905) partially open. 

With regard to the camping ground of Clinton's 
brigade, a local author, who has made a special study 
of the subject, says: 

"In one way or another they made use of pretty much all 
the ground between the road and the hillside, which slopes 
down to the brook (the Primrose), but their huts were 
arranged in lines in view of and parallel to the road, not far 
from the edge of the hill, as is clearly noted in a contempora- 
neous map of the Wick farm now (1894) in the hands of Mr. 
(E. D.) Halsey. The New York huts and those used a year 
later by a body of troops from Pennsylvania happened to 
form part of a legal description and so came to be indicated 
on the farm map. Washington's own map, drawn by Ers- 
kine — no doubt less accurate — places the New York camp as 
a whole near the road. The southwestern end of it was on 
ground somewhat lower than the northeastern, and between 
that point and the road is a level field, which may well have 
served as the brigade parade, a word then used for what we 
now call parade-ground." 

The Hon. Charles F. Axtell, a native, and a life-long 
286 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

resident of Morristown, whose ancestor, Major Henry 
Axtell, rendered excellent service in the Revolution, 
has recently informed the writer that as a boy he spent 
many hours down the Jockey Hollow road, and thus 
became familiar with the historic Revolutionary 
grounds with which it abounds. "I have often seen a 
pile of stones, which I have always understood once- 
composed the fireplaces and chimneys of soldier huts 
in the Revolution, lying just northeast of the "Tuttle 
House." When asked how far from the road this 
pile of hut chimney-stones lay, he replied: "O, about 
a stones-throw, and in a clump of bushes; I have 
played around it many an hour." 

A monument to mark the site of this camping 
ground of the New York brigade? Alas! there is none, 
and the same must here be said of all the camping 
grounds of the eleven brigades of the patriot army, 
save that of Stark. The traces of these camp sites are 
rapidly becoming effaced, and if they are to be defin- 
itely located Tor the benefit of coming generations of 
freedom-loving Americans, the patriotic societies and 
public-spirited citizens of our great country should be- 
stir themselves. 

Still farther down the Jockey Hollow road, and off 
to the right about an eighth of a mile, approximately, 
and to the rear of what is still known as the "Groff 
house," on the hill, were the camping grounds of the 
two Pennsylvania brigades, the first brigade occupy- 
ing the right, and the second brigade the left, of the 
encampment. 

287 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

"The first brigade" — the writer now quotes from "Topog- 
raphy of Washington's Camp of 1780 and its Neighborhood," 
by Mr. McCHntock — "had the ground between Sugar Loaf 
and the smaller hill west of it, and got its water from a 
spring northwest of Sugar Loaf, the water from which goes 
to join a brook which crosses the Mendham road on its way 
to the Whippany river. A by-road may still be traced 
upwards from the Mendham road near the brook, which 
would give access to the camp; and the Sugar Loaf road was 
no doubt also used. Either the by-road in question or the 
Sugar Loaf road must have been ascended from the Mend- 
ham road when Luzerne, the French minister, and a commit- 
tee of Congress were escorted by Washington, with a bril- 
liant cavalcade, to view the camps on April 25, 1780. The 
route announced from the Headquarters, by way of the Park 
of Artillery to the first of the camps to be visited, those of 
Pennsylvania, would naturally lead that way. The party 
came back to Morristown by way of Mr. Kemble's house 
and the Basking Ridge road. Washington's map indicates 
that the Pennsylvania lines of huts ran nearly north and 
south, inclining a little to the southeast. The camp of the 
second brigade lay south, a little southeast, of that of the 
first, the huts all having the same general alignment. If the 
map is correct, this brigade did not occupy the highest part 
of the ridge south of Sugar Loaf, but the sloping ground 
just west of the ridge." 

It should be here remarked that the positions of the 
various brigades of Washington's army, as given in 
the present chapter, are those occupied by them on 
their arrival in Morris County, in the early part of 
the month of December in the year 1779. Later in 
the winter, some of the brigades changed their camp- 
grounds. Failure to recognize the fact just stated has 

288 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

led, and is still likely to lead, to no little confusion re- 
garding the position of some of the brigades of the 
patriot army during the winter of the years 1779-80. 
As an illustration of this statement, it may be said 
that while upon the entrance of the American army in- 
to the county of Morris at the opening of the 
above mentioned winter, the two Pennsylvania 
brigades established their camps in the position stated, 
one at least of these brigades, later in the same winter, 
occupied the vacated camp and huts of Hand's brigade 
of whose location mention will in due time be made. 
On at least one diagram of the camping grounds of the 
American army, to the south of Morristown, the 
Pennsylvania troops are represented as occupying a 
position at the southwestern corner of the Jockey Hol- 
low and Menham roads; whereas, in point of fact, this 
position was occupied by the Pennsylvania troops only 
after its abandonment by Hand's brigade. 

One of the most interesting and important features 
of the locality contiguous to the site of the Pennsyl- 
vania encampment, is a clump of tall locust trees, cov- 
ering a piece of ground about 25 by 150 feet in width 
and length, respectively. If to any persons the mark- 
ing of the sites of the various brigade camping 
grounds may at present seem impracticable, surely the 
erection of some suitable marker on the spot just allud- 
ed to, should receive prompt attention, for the reasons 
following: In the vicinity of this clump of locust trees, 
the site of which, can still be definitely located, stood, 
in Revolutionary times, an hospital. A short distance 

289 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

to the westward of the locust grove just mentioned, 
may be seen an old apple tree, one among several in 
the same field. Under this tree, and to the southward, 
is the site of a spring; the spring itself, however, so 
far as external appearances indicate, having been ob- 
literated, covered, indeed, in the processes of the Mor- 
ris Aqueduct company in furnishing water to the 
growing population of Morristown and vicinity. Near 
this old apple tree and spring stood, in the winter of 
1779-80, the division hospital of the Pennsylvania 
troops, and from the spring alluded to, then active, 
water was procured for the sick soldiers. It is the 
opinion of not a few persons that the old apple tree 
now marking the site of the Revolutionary hospital 
mentioned, was in its youth, and bore fruit while the 
Pennsylvania division were encamped in the locality a 
century and a quarter ago. In this hospital occurred 
numerous deaths during the eventful winter of 1779- 
80. The remains of these deceased American soldiers, 
at least 100, it is estimated, were interred in a double 
row of graves, running parallel to each other. 

No mounds or other visible indication of these pa- 
triot graves now mark, or, perhaps, ever marked, the 
resting places of the men who sacrificed their lives in 
the cause of Freedom; and, except for the sacred 
thoughtfulness of a friend of the patriot dead, the pres- 
ent generation would perhaps be as totally unaware of 
the spot where they sleep as were the American peo- 
ple of the resting place of the remains, until very re- 
centlv, of Paul Jones, who, like his compatriot naval 

290 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

officer in the Revolution, Captain Jeremiah O'Brien, 
"plowed the seas in search of the enemy, and hurled 
retaliation upon his head." 

As a means of preventing in future years the dese- 
cration of the grounds holding the remains of those 
who now quietly sleep therein, some thoughtful person 
(John B. Wick, a collateral d escendant of Henry 
Wick, the original proprietor of the Wick farm, it is 
said) planted in the early part of the nineteenth cen- 
tury, the young locusts, since grown to their present 
proportions. These noble locusts must, and will, in 
the due course of nature, disappear, leaving the rest- 
ing places of our patriot dead there interred, unknown 
and unrecognized by succeeding generations. A gran- 
ite monument bearing a suitable inscription, and in- 
cluding a just tribute to the planter of the perishing 
locusts, should be erected without delay. And if the 
piece of ground holding the remains of those who per- 
ished for their country were purchased, with right of 
way to and from the same, the commemorative deed 
suggested would be complete. 

The failure of the Hon. Samuel B. Axtell, 
(a native of Morristown), Representative in 
Congress, at the time, from San Francisco, to 
secure the passage of a bill by him introduced, 
providing for an appropriation by the General Gov- 
ernment, for the erection of a suitable monument to 
mark the resting place of the patriot dead who lie near 
the site of the Pennsylvania encampment, should not 
prevent a second attempt to rouse the slumbering sen- 

291 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

timent of Congress to the passage of a bill having for 
its object the same commendable work. 

As the writer, a few weeks since, in company with 
the long-time superintendent of the Morris Aqueduct, 
who, as might be expected, is thoroughly familiar with 
the grounds, passed over the roadway through the 
now dense woods, once pressed by the feet of the pa- 
triot soldiers of 1779-80, in their passage to and from 
the Pennsylvania camps to the main road, his kindled 
imagination again peopled those woods with the living 
forms of the men long since gone to their reward. And 
even as he writes these lines he can almost hear the 
rustling of the leaves beneath the feet of the soldiers far 
from home and loved ones, engaged in the unequal, 
but eventually successful, struggle for American inde- 
pendence as they wended their way to and from camp. 

Returning to the Jockey Hollow road, and continu- 
ing southwestward a short distance, there may be seen 
on either side of, and from the road, the sites of the 
camping grounds of the First and Second Maryland 
brigades, the former on the right and the latter on the 
left of the road. The First Maryland Brigade was en- 
camped on the slope of a hill facing southeast. This 
slope is now partially covered with stunted cedar trees. 
On the westerly side of the Morris Acqueduct 
reservoir about eastward of the camp site, was 
the spring, not now to be seen, however, which 
furnished the First Maryland Brigade with 
water. The site of the spring, as the writer is informed 
by one who saw it before its obliteration, is now 

292 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

marked by a certain patch of particularly green grass 
growing on the side of the reservoir cobblestone em- 
bankment. Nearly opposite, and on the other side of 
the Jockey Hollow road, and extending up the hill 
toward what is known as the "Harvey Loree Place," 
was the camping ground of the Second Maryland Bri- 
gade, which faced northwestward, but which was, how- 
ever, protected from the winds by the hills and woods 
just beyond. 

At the southeast side of a piece of meadow 
land, and on the edge of a piece of woods, 
and just behind a rude rail fence, may still (1905) be 
seen the remains of a stone oven, used probably by 
both of the Maryland brigades for bread baking pur- 
poses. The ruins mentioned consist of a circular heap 
of stones, which indicate that the once round oven col- 
laped, by reason of its own weight, inward, which ex- 
plains the fact just stated, that the heap of stones is 
circular in form. An examination of the stones shows 
the marks of contact with fire and smoke in the pro- 
cess of baking. This oven was, of course, duplicated 
and reduplicated, all over the various camping 
grounds ocupiced by the American army during the 
winter of 1779-80, so that to see the ruins of one is to 
see the ruins of the many still visible, or certainly, 
until quite recently, visible at various points. 

Leaving unmentioned, for the present at least, a spot 
of great historic interest on the left, as we proceed 
down the Jockey Hollow road toward the Mendham 
road (the road running from the Basking Ridge road 

293 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

to the southeast, toward Mendham off to the north- 
westward), we reach the camping ground of Hand's 
Brigade, said to have been the smallest, numerically, 
in the patriot army at the period under consideration. 
This camping ground was on the slope, and ex- 
tending up toward the summit of a hill facing the 
southwest, toward the Mendham road; its side, how- 
ever, running along and parallel to the southeastern 
side of the Jockey Hollow road. The camp faced the 
Mendham road. A row of stones now lying in ex- 
tended heaps along the road last mentioned, were un- 
doubtedly utilized for some purpose by Hand's Bri- 
gade while encamped on these grounds. Rev. Dr. 
Joseph F. Tuttle says they were used in "the hut fire- 
places and were drawn off to clear the ground for 
plowing" the side hill. 

Up the hill slope to the northeastward of the Mend- 
ham road, a level piece of ground at the summit was 
cleared by the troops for the free movements of light 
artillery which was planted there for use in case of at- 
tack by the enemy; for from the summit of this hill, 
known as "Fort Hill," cannon could sweep the entire 
face of the surrounding locality. Two or three lines of 
fortifications, partly of stones and partly of logs and 
brushwood, were also thrown up on the summit of 
"Fort Hill." Traces of the former may still be seen by 
the careful observer. 

The spring which supplied Hand's Brigade with 
water was on the opposite side of the Mendham road 
from camp 

294 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

The road leading from the corner of the Jockey Hol- 
low and Mendham roads toward the Basking Ridge 
road, was in Revolutionary times nearly straight in its 
course. The present road, however, is somewhat cir- 
cuitous. Down the straight road of the Revolutionary 
period toward the Basking Ridge road, about half the 
distance, and off a little to the left, or northeast, the 
camping grounds of the First and Second Connecticut 
brigades were established. These camp grounds lay 
on the slope of Fort Hill: the camp of the First Con- 
necticut brigade on the right, facing southeast, and 
that of the Second brigade on the left facing east. The 
location chosen was an almost ideal one. It was the 
writer's rare privilege to go over these camp grounds 
for the first time not long since, with one who has 
made a special study of the topography of Washing- 
ton's camp grounds of 1779-80. The numerous heaps 
of hut-chimney stones, some of which lie just where 
they fell with the collapse of the log-huts they once 
made comfortable, mark with almost startling definite- 
ness the camp-streets, once alive with the presence of 
the brave men who helped to achieve the independ- 
ence of the American colonies. Several times during 
the above mentioned morning tramp over these camp 
grounds, did the alert guide turn to the writer, and ex- 
claim with evident enthusiasm: "Here was a camp- 
street;" and the distinct alignment of the hut-chimney 
stones to be seen, evidently undisturbed since they fell 
in heaps, was a sufficient corroboration of the opinion 
expressed. 

295 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

A large, circular heap of stones, not a few of which 
still show the effects of fire, was, as guide and writer 
agreed, the ruins of a bake oven, similar to those on 
the Jockey Hollow road, already spoken of 

Than the camping grounds of the two Connecticut 
brigades none are more distinctly marked; and a per- 
sonal examination, by the lover of Revolutionary his- 
tory, of no other camp of the patriot army during the 
winter of 1779-80, furnishes greater satisfaction than 
those on the easterly and southeasterly slope of Fort 
Pill. Twice, since his initial visit to the camping 
grounds of the Connecticut brigades, has the writer, 
with growing interest and with fresh discoveries, gone 
over these grounds. 

To locate the camping ground of the New Jersey 
brigade, in which many of our readers will be 
specially interested, we must retrace our steps, going 
to the northwestward along the Mendham road until 
we reach what is now, and what was even in Revolu- 
tionary time, known as the Wick House. The relation 
of the history of this very interesting house must be 
deferred until a later stage of our story. Off to the 
southwest, across the Mendham road and over fields 
lying beyond it a short distance, the New Jersey troops 
were encamped on either side of a small brook, which, 
to the southeast, ran into a larger one. 

Thanks to the Rev. Dr. Joseph F. Tuttle; to his 
worthy successor, as a county historian, the late Hon. 
Edmund D. Halsey, and to the more recent investiga- 
tor, Emory McClintock, LL.D. (whose "Topography 

296 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

of Washington's Camp of 1780 and Its Neighborhood" 
contains the results of his careful investigations), the 
site of the camping grounds of the New Jersey brigade 
is definitely located. 

From the Cook spring, so-called, situated somewhat 
to the northwest of the camping grounds, the New 
Jersey soldiers procured water for brigade purposes. 
The brigade parade ground seems to have been on the 
northeastern side of the brook running through the 
camp, comprising an almost circular piece of cleared 
land. 

In the spring of the year 1905, the writer, in com- 
pany with the Rev. Joseph F. Tuttle, D. D., LL.D., 
visited, for the first time, the site of the camping 
grounds of the New Jersey brigade during the winter 
of 1779-80. Lest the reader infer from the foregoing 
statement that the writer is a victim of what many 
regard as the modern delusion of spiritualism, an ex- 
planation may be desirable; this he proceeds to give. 
The results of Dr. Tuttle's examination of the camping 
grounds of the New Jersey brigade, made in the year 
1852, are extant in the form of a somewhat lengthy 
article, to be found among the collections of the New 
Jersey Historical Society. With increasing interest 
the writer had read and re-read this article, until the 
desire to verify, by a personal visit, Dr. Tuttle's excel- 
lent description of the grounds in question, fruited in 
the resolution to do so. Starting early on a beautiful 
May morning of the year above mentioned, with two 
well-filled kodaks, a carefully prepared lunch and a 

297 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

bound copy of the New Jersey Historical Collections 
containing Dr. Tuttle's article, the writer, thanks to his 
favorite exploring horse, "Prince," from the stable 
of Charles H. McCollum, of Morristown, found him- 
self in about an half hour's time at the famous Wick 
House. Leaving his conveyance at the place men- 
tioned he set out with kodaks and lunch basket and the 
book alluded to, the latter under his arm, for what had 
to him come to seem like enchanted ground. With 
great difficulty, by the aid of a "big stick" employed to 
beat down the heavy growth of bushes, of which a lib- 
eral share were blackberry, he forced his way across 
the intervening meadow, through which ran the brook 
on either side of which Maxwell's Jersey soldiers built 
their huts in the winter of 1779-80. It seemed at times, 
so stubbornly did the blackberry bushes resist his ad- 
vance, as if, like the man in the Nursery Rhymes, he 
would scratch out his eyes and then scratch them in 
again. But the objective — the slope of Blachly's hill — 
must be reached at all hazards; and, not to weary the 
reader with further reference to the obstacles sur- 
mounted, the writer, with Dr. Tuttle at his side, 
reached the westerly side of the piece of meadow, 
weary and hand-sore and hungry; but exultant. It 
was then near noon by the watch, and fully so, judging 
from gastronomical intimations. Selecting for table 
and chair a pile of hut-chimney stones he had eagerly 
sought and rejoicingly found, the writer thoughtfully 
partook of his lunch, with a relish such as only a genu- 
inely hungry man experiences. As he sat there alone 

298 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

upon the grounds occupied, a century and a quarter 
ago, by men engaged in the struggle for national inde- 
pendence, and re-read the article of Dr. Tuttle to assist 
him in "getting his bearings," it seemed, at least in the 
realm of an awakened imagination, as if the place was 
once more peopled with the patriot soldiers, the re- 
mains of whose temporary habitations in the winter of 
1779-80, lay all about, as almost speaking witnesses to 
their former presence. But of the strange workings of 
the writer's imagination on the occasion alluded to, he 
can only say, with another: "What I can fancy, but can 
ne'er express."' 

Lunch completed, and the grounds carefully exam- 
ined for purposes of verification, the writer set out for 
Blachly's hill. Here again imagination was active, as 
pile after pile of hut-chimney stones, some of them 
apparently undisturbed since they fell with the collapse 
of the hut in which they had been built by patriot 
hands. On the slope of the hill and about one-third 
the distance up from its base, could be distinctly traced 
the former alignment of the huts which once sheltered 
living soldiers. Of the resuult of his examination of 
the camp-site of Maxwell's Jersey brigade, the writer 
can only say, that even after careful reading of Dr. 
Tuttle's excellent description of these grounds, "the 
half has never been told." Since that first visit in the 
month of May, 1905, the writer has twice gone over 
the grounds, each time making new discoveries indi- 
cating the presence of the patriot soldiers of 1779-80. 
Some of the results of these visits may be seen, by the 

299 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

reader, within the covers of this volume. Freedom- 
loving- Morristonians could scarcely render a more 
patriotic service, to the rising generation particularly, 
than by organizing occasional local pilgrimages to 
some of the historic grounds "down the Jockey Hol- 
low road," for the Fourth of July, including the Jersey 
camp-site of the winter of 1779-80. With a good band 
to discourse national airs, an historical address by 
some person acquainted with local annals, the reading 
of the Declaration of Independence by other than a 
political aspirant, the Day set apart for the celebration 
of the anniversary of our national independence would 
be much more suitably and profitably spent, than by a 
vain attempt, through politico-patriotic celebrations, 
concocted in a corner, to gather the people and gal- 
vanize them into a patriotic frame of mind. Such at- 
tempts can but remind a thoughtful American citizen 
of the words of Lincoln, of which the following is a 
substantial quotation: "You can fool all the people 
part of the time, and you can fool some people all the 
time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." 

"Then none was for a party; 

Then all were for the State; 
Then the great men help'd the poor, 

And the poor men lov'd the great; 

"Then lands were fairly portion'd; 

Then spoils were fairly sold; 
The Romans were like brothers 

In the brave days of old." 

300 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Early in the year 1780 the New Jersey brigade re- 
moved to the vacated quarters on the Jockey Hollow- 
road of the Maryland brigades, which had been or- 
dered to march to the southward. The excellent dia- 
gram, showing not only the relative positions of the 
ten brigades of the American army during the winter 
of 1779-80, but the location of several Revolutionary 
houses and other points of great historic interest, is, 
by permission of Emory McClintock, LL.D., pub- 
lished in connection with the present chapter. To one 
unacquainted with the latest conclusions concerning 
the sites of the camping grounds of 1779-80, this dia- 
gram, as a guide, is simply invaluable, and when con- 
sulted in connection with the most admirable "Topog- 
raphy of Washington's Camp of 1780 and Its Neigh- 
borhood," by the same authority, it becomes luminous 
with reflected information concerning the locations of 
historic buildings and spots now justly famous in Rev- 
olutionary annals. 




301 




CHAPTER XVI. 

"Ev'n to the dullest peasant standing by 
Who fasten'd still on him a wondering eye 
He seem'd the master spirit of the land." 




ASHINGTON'S army, during its 
second encampment in Morristown 
and vicinity in the winter of 1779- 
80, included, in addition to the ten 
brigades of infantry, the locations 
of whose camps were given in the 
previous chapter, a brigade of artillery in command of 
General Henry Knox, one of the most brilliant officers 
in the Continental army. 

Knox's artillery brigade was encamped about half a 
mile to the northwest, by direct line, from the Morris- 
town Green, on the road then and now leading toward 
Ivlendham, and was composed of three regiments of 
artillery and a regiment of artificers, the latter in com- 
mand of an officer named Baldwin. In addition to the 
light mounted field pieces composing the various bat- 
teries of his brigade, General Knox had in charge sev- 

302 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

eral heavier guns designed for siege purposes. As 
may be inferred from the faet of a regiment of artifi- 
cers, or mechanics, there were in the artillery camp 
several forges and machine shops for the repair of dis- 
abled guns. The encampment of Knox's brigade was 
spoken of in the military parlance of the day as the 
"Park of Artillery." 

On the slope of the hill, on the right as one goes 
toward Mendham from Morristown, and commencing 
at the point where the road turns abruptly to the left 
(this point being the terminus of the present Washing- 
ton street, and the beginning of the Mendham road), 
and extending nearly a third of a mile parallel to the 
road, is the site of Knox's brigade encampment. One 
of Morristown's lawyers recently informed the writer 
that when a boy he frequently heard his father (a Rev- 
olutionary descendant), who resided near the site of 
the camping grounds, speak of the hill slope in ques- 
tion as "the park." From this same well-known law- 
yer it was ascertained that during his early years, bay- 
onets, firelocks and other evidences of the years of 
''mad war" were found on "the park," probably on or 
near the sites of some of the field forges or machine 
shops of the brigade artificers alluded to. 

To the south of the brigade camp grounds, and on 
the opposite side of the road, were two pieces of level 
ground, then in grass, where, in the spring of the year 
1780, the artillery horses were turned to graze. It is 
probable that the tract of land, until recently dammed 
and covered by "Burnham's Pond," was a portion of 

303 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

the meadow land used as a parade ground by the artil- 
lery of Knox's brigade. A resident of Morristown, 
whose fondness for nature is a conspicuous trait, says: 
"I have picked daisies and buttercups on the meadow 
once, and, until quite recently, covered by 'Burnham's 
Pond.' ' This pond, as already suggested, has been 
drained, and the land will once more become meadow. 
Whether this is in line of progression or retrogression 
is a debatable question. 

General Knox's quarters were a short distance to 
the westward of the brigade encampment, in a farm- 
house, a portion of which, at least, still survives as part 
of a modern residence, to be seen from the Mendham 
road. It will doubtless be interesting, more particularly 
to local readers of our story, to know that access to the 
"Park of Artillery" was chiefly, so far as foot travelers 
during the Revolutionary period were concerned, 
across intervening fields, then included in one or more 
farms, Washington street not then having been 
opened up. Mounted travelers, and travelers in the 
primitive vehicles of that day, could reach the "Park of 
Artillery," from the Morristown Green, by way of 
"town hill," thence up the present Spring street hill, 
sometimes called Sander's hill, into the present Early 
street, and through its former extension into what is 
now known as the Mendham road, all of which route, 
from the foot of Spring street, was, in Revolutionary 
days, known as the Mendham road. 

The attention of the reader has already been di- 
rected to the fact that each brigade of the American 

304 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

army encamped in Morristown had its own parade 
ground, frequently in front of the respective camps. 
Indeed, this was the case whenever the formation of 
the adjacent grounds permitted. Then, for the use of 
the entire army, there was what has been termed the 
"grand parade," which was situated on the right of the 
Jockey Hollow road, as one goes from the Morristown 
Green toward the Mendham road, and within about 
one and one-half miles from the latter. On the "grand 
parade" the daily guard mountings for the army took 
place; the various detachments for the daily relief of 
the outposts, picket posts and hospital guards here 
rendezvoused, and here, also, military executions were 
performed, sometimes in the presence of the entire 
army, the graves of the condemned soldiers having 
been previously dug at the foot of the gallows. 

On the southeastern slope of Sugar Loaf hill, which 
lies just off the Jockey Hollow road to the right as 
one goes from Morristown, and about three miles from 
the last named place, there stood, during the winter of 
1779-80, a log building. This building was used by the 
Pennsylvania division for courts martial; and it may 
also have served as a guard house. From an order 
book kept by Colonel Francis Johnston, of the Second 
Pennsylvania regiment, commander of the Pennsyl- 
vania division, from February tenth, of the year 1780, 
until April twenty-ninth of the same year, it is ascer- 
tained that among the military trials conducted during 
the period referred to, which were probably held in the 
log building mentioned, were the following: 

305 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

"On the eighteenth of February, Sergeant Mitchell, of the 
ninth Pennsylvania regiment, was tried and convicted for 
concealing stolen goods, and was sentenced to receive ioo 
lashes 'on his bare back well laid on.' James Hammel and 
Samuel Crawford, of the fifth Pennsylvania regiment, were 
tried on 'suspicion of robbery and found guilty of the 
charge.' They were sentenced to be hung on the next day, 
between the hours of three and four o'clock in the afternoon, 
on the grand parade. It was ordered that the officers of the 
day attend the executions; and that the corps of artillery 
(Knox's) 'will send a band of music to attend ye criminals to 
the place of execution.' The Pennsylvania Division was 
ordered to furnish an escort of officers, two drums and fifes 
and fifty privates; and each of the other divisions was to fur- 
nish two hundred men. The corps of artillery was to furnish 
one hundred men, properly officered. Hammel was exe- 
cuted; but Crawford, as the following order from Headquar- 
ters shows, was pardoned by Washington. 'The Commander- 
in-Chief is Pleased to remit the Sentence against Samuel 
Crawford. The frequent occasion the General takes to 
Pardon where strict Justice would compel him to Punish 
ought to operate in ye minds of Offenders to the Improve- 
ment of their morals.' " 

"For attempting to force a falsehood on Colonel Craig, of 
the Pennsylvania division, respecting his attendance on the 
regimental parade. Lieutenant John Armstrong was tried by 
court-martial. He was found guilty and discharged from the 
service. Washington, however, restored Armstrong to his 
former rank and command, saying: 'From the general good 
character of Lieut. Armstrong he hopes what he was 
charged with proceeded rather from a want of Recollection 
than any ill design.' Incidentally it may be said that among 
the entries in the order book of Colonel Francis Johnston, is 
the following: 'On February twenty-third (1780), Colonel 
Craig loses a silver epaulet in the rear of the Pennsylvania 
encampment, and offers a reward of thirty dollars.' 

306 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"On the sixteenth of March, of the year 1780, Washington 
issued a general order concerning the observance of St. 
Patrick's Day in the army. On the next morning the follow- 
ing division orders were issued by Colonel Francis Johnston: 
'March 17, 1780. The commanding officer desirous that the 
Celebration of the day should not Pass by without having a 
little Rum issued to the Troops, had thought proper to 
direct Commissary Night to send for a Hogshead 
which the Colonel has purchased for this Express purpose in 
the Vicinity of Camp. While the Troops are celebrating the 
anniversary of St. Patrick in Innocent Mirth and Pastime he 
hopes they will not forget our worthy friends in the King- 
dom of Ireland, who, with the greatest unanimity, have 
stepped forth in Opposition to the Tyranny of Great Brit- 
tain, and who like Us, are determined to be Free. The Col- 
onel expects the Troops will conduct themselves with the 
greatest sobriety and good order.' 

The courts-martial general of the American army during 
its encampment in Morristown in the winter of 1779-80, were 
held at several different places, among which were Dicker- 
son's Tavern, and the residence of Quartermaster General 
Joseph Lewis, on Morris street; and the log building on the 
slope of Sugar Loaf may also have been used for this pur- 
pose. In the early part of the month of February in the year 
1780, one John Beaty, esq'r., "commissary of prisoners," was 
tried by general court martial on a charge of "improper 
intercourse with the City of New York," in having written 
there for and introduced sundry articles from thence con- 
trary to the resolve of Congress. Beaty was found guilty. 
Washington in speaking of Beaty's offense, says: "The Gen- 
eral thinks Mr. Beaty's Conduct in this Instance exceedingly 
reprehensible; in his situation he ought to have observed a 
peculiar Delicacy; the whole tenor of the Evidence Intro- 
duced by himself show that he was well aware of the Impro- 
priety of the Intercourse, & though he may have generally 
discountenanced it, it is not an excuse from the present 

307 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

deviation, etc., etc." Mr. Beaty was, however, released from 
arrest. Lieutenant Porter, of the seventh Maryland regi- 
ment, who at the same time and place was tried for "unoffi- 
cer, unsoldier, & vilainous Conduct on Staten Island, Rob- 
bing & plundering a Woman of Money," was summarily 
cashiered. At the intercesion of officers of the third New 
York regiment, Edward Burk was pardoned by Washington, 
the Commander-in-Chief taking occasion to say: "The case 
of Burk ought to be a Striking example to the Soldiery of 
the dangerous Excesses and Fatal Consequence's to which, 
the pernicious Crime of Drunkenness will frequently betray 
them." 

By no means the least interesting bits of information to 
be gleaned from the order book of Colonel Johnston, are the 
following: On the sixth of March a corporal and four pri- 
vates were sent to build an oven for "Mr. Ludwick the baker 
in Morristown." Two men were also sent to " Mr. Gamble's 
in Morristown" to assist in securing hides and tallow. On 
the fifteenth of March a sum of money, "less than 500 dollars, 
was found between Headquarters and the Church in Morris- 
town." 

On the twenty-second of March Lientenant-Colonel How- 
ard was tried by court-martial, on the charge of not parading 
with his battalion, not having it in a state fit for action, and 
kindred breaches of discipline. The court condemned him; 
but the Commander-in-Chief came to the rescue, and after 
extenuating the officer's alleged misdemeanors, dissolved the 
court-martial. Among the causes cited by Washington for 
excusing Colonel Howard was "the extream severity of the 
weather at that period, * * * while the men were walk- 
ing to keep themselves warm." It was on the twenty-third 
of March that Major Moore was tried by court-martial on 
several charges, of which the fifth was that of "speaking in 
a very dishonorable and disrespectful manner of his Excell- 
ency, the Commander-in-Chief, and Generals of the Army." 
The court, however, "fully and clearly" acquitted Major 

308 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Moore of the charge above specified. In commenting on the 
sentence of the court-martial Washington said he was happy 
in the acquittal of this officer on the fifth charge, which he 
was "sorry was ever made a matter of Publick discussion." 

For sending out two sleighs and horses with John Van- 
Winkle and others to bring back some ladies from "Bergen 
Town," Lieutenant-Colonel Hay was sentenced by court- 
martial to be reprimanded in general orders. He was 
released from arrest by Washington, with the following com- 
ments: "Lieut. Col. Hay, not having the command on the 
lines in the quarter where he was, had no right to grant the 
permit he did, as Bergen Town was out of our lines, and 
within, or very contiguous to, those of the enemy. At the 
same time the General is Perfectly satisfied that in doing it, 
he was actuated merely by humane & benevolent motives, to 
facilitate the return home of two Ladies on their way from 
New York, where they had been permitted to go, & who, it 
appears, required assistance." 

On the twenty-fourth of March, the officer commanding 
on the lines was directed in case of any "sudden & serious 
movement of the enemy in that quarter to Cause the Alarm 
Gun on the Height above Springfield to be fired, to be 
answered by the alarm guns in camp upon which the bri- 
gades are to form on their respective parades." 

On March thirty-first, Ensign Spear was discharged from 
the service for disorderly conduct in a "publick house." 
"The General confirms the sentence against Ensign Spear 
because there was a Shameful combination of a number 
against a Single Person who seems to have given no provo- 
cation." 

Thomas Brown, of the second New Jersey regiment, was 
charged with desertion. By a division court-martial con- 
vened by order of Major General Lord Sterling, Brown was 
declared guilty; and the court upon ascertaining that he was 
an old offender, having repeatedly deserted, "do unanimously 



309 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

sentence him to be hanged by ye neck till dead, & the com- 
mander-in-chief approves the sentence." 

"Sobriety, Fidelity and a good temper are essentially 
necessary, as are cleanliness, genteel shape & small Size," 
were the qualifications mentioned by General Maxwell, in 
his announcement for "a servant understanding the care and 
management of horses." 

Charged with saying he was sick, when he was only indis- 
posed; and with attending a "Morristown ball" without 
leave, Lieutenant Hoops was tried by court-martial, and hon- 
orably acquitted. 

General Irvine informed the troops in April that the 
"Honorable House of Assembly in Philadelphia had voted 
each officer and soldier at the expiration of the service cer- 
tain quantities of land, free of taxes. The allotment was as 
follows: "A Major General, 2,000 acres; A Brigadier, 1,500; 
A Colonel, 1,000;" and so on down to the privates who were 
to receive 200 acres each. 

On the twenty-fifth of April Washington issued the follow- 
ing message to the troops: "The commander-in-chief at the 
request of the minister of France has the pleasure to inform 
Major General the Baron Steuben & the officers & men of 
the four battalions that the appearance & manoeuvres of the 
troops yesterday met his entire approbation & afforded him 
the highest satisfaction." In the general orders from Head- 
quarters of the twenty-sixth of the same month, appear the 
following words: "His excellency the minister of France was 
pleased to express in the warmest terms his approbation of 
the Troops in the review of yesterday. Applause so honor- 
able cannot but prove a new motive to the emulous exertions 
of the army." 

On the twenty-seventh of April, Augustine Washington 
was made an ensign in the second Virginia regiment, and he 
was to do duty in the commander-in-chief's guard "till furth- 
er orders." 

It is possible that the entries in the order book of Colonel 
310 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Johnston, from which the foregoing extracts and informa- 
tion are taken, were made at the Headquarters, and at the 
"small, ink-stained stand which bears the name of Gen. 
Washington's dispatch table." 

Almost startlingly interesting is the fact, that upon "these 
ancient and blotted relics" of the Revolution — Colonel John- 
ston's order book — appear the names of Colonels William 
DeHart, Elias Dayton, Jacob Ford, Livingston, Ogden — 
"with Fullerton, Craig, Lyttle, Kinney, Kline, and the com- 
manding officers Clinton, Stark, Sterling, Maxwell and the 
rest." 

The officers of the patriot army, many of them at 
least, including even regimental and company com- 
manders, instead of sharing quarters with the rank and 
file, sought more comfortable accommodations in the 
farmhouses surrounding the camps. As a means of 
protection against marauding by the soldiers, the pres- 
ence of these officers was welcomed by the families in 
which they found a home. 

The soldiers of the patriot army were quartered, 
after temporary use of tents immediately following 
their arrival in camp, in huts, those of the officers each 
accommodating three or four persons, while those of 
the rank and file accommodated ten or more soldiers 
each. In accordance with the orders of the command- 
er-in-chief through Quartermaster-General Greene, 
the huts were of uniform construction and size, and 
were arranged in rows with the exactness of a well- 
laid-out modern city. At one end of the huts was a 
plastered wood chimney with spacious stone fireplace, 
and at the other end were bunks. In some of these 

311 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

huts there were apologies for windows, and in ail of 
them facilities for ventilation. As illustrative of the 
extreme care of Washington for the health and corn- 
fort of his soldiers, it may be said that in his instruc- 
tions for the erection of their winter quarters he ex- 
plicitly ordered that "any hut not exactly conformable 
to the plan or the least out of the line shall be pulled 
down and built again." It is a most interesting cir- 
cumstance, and one that merits mention, that the huts 
in question were constructed without the use of nails, 
and probably without the use of hammers, axes being 
about the only tool required. Mention of the fact 
should not be omitted that most, if not, indeed, all, the 
brigade camps of the American army were established 
upon grounds covered with trees, which were expedi- 
tiously cleared away to make room for the huts which 
were to furnish shelter through what proved to be one 
of the severest winters, as regards both the tempera- 
ture which prevailed and the immense quantity of 
snow, ever experienced in this region. 

The statement concerning the locations of the quar- 
ters of the various brigade commanders and other gen- 
eral officers of the patriot army would make a most 
interesting feature of our story, but these, with few ex- 
ceptions, it is impossible at present to give. Of the 
locale of the quarters of General William Irvine, how- 
ever, during the first months at least of the encamp- 
ment of Washington's army in Morristown, it is grati- 
fying to be able to speak with some degree of 
certainty. Standing on the northeasterly corner of 

312 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

what is known as the Bailey Hollow road, ahout one 
and a half miles down the Jockey Hollow road from 
the Morristown Green, there was, in the year 1780, a 
house owned by Captain Augustine Baily (sometimes 
spelled Bayles). This house, only the site of which is 
now (1905) to he seen, was the quarters of Irvine, one 
of Washington's most trusted officers. 

It was probably as commander of the Second Bri- 
gade of Pennsylvania troops during the winter of 
1779-80 that he established his quarters in the Bailey 
house on the Jockey Hollow road. A cannon ball, 
picked up recently on the site of his quarters on the 
Jockey Hollow road, was on exhibition with other 
Revolutionary relics in the window of a young Morris- 
town jeweler on the Fourth of July, in the year 1904. 

Of the quarters of General Anthony Wayne, men- 
tion will in due course be made. Arnold's tavern, in 
the village of Morristown, was doubtless the tem- 
porary home of not a few of the American general 
officers during the second encampment of the army 
there, and other officers and soldiers seem to have 
been quartered in the building on the south side of the 
Green, known as the "Continental House," then used 
as a storehouse for government supplies. The quar- 
ters of the surgeon-general of Washington's army, Dr. 
John Cochran, w r as in the house of Dr. Jabez Camp- 
field, on the road leading toward Whippany, on what 
is now the corner of Morris street and Oliphant lane. 
Of this famous house more will be said in due time. 

On the arrival of Washington in Morristown, in the 
313 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

early part of the month of December, in the year 1779, 
he established his headquarters in what was then 
known as the "Ford Mansion," situated on the road 
leading to Whippany, and about a mile eastward of the 
village Green. The "Ford Mansion" was then owned 
and occupied by Theodosia, widow of Colonel Jacob 
Ford, Jr., deceased, since the beginning of the year 
1777, and her children. In the issue of The New Jer- 
sey Gazette of December 13, a few days only after the 
arrival of the patriot army in Morristown, there ap- 
peared the announcement: "We understand that the 
Head-Quarters of the American Army is established 
at Morris-Town, in the Vicinity of which the troops 
are now hutting." 

Washington's body guard, called also his life guard, 
comprising (at their maximum) about 250 picked men 
from different regiments of the Continental army, es- 
tablished their camp about 400 feet, approximately, to 
the southeast of the headquarters of the commander- 
in-chief, at what is now the fork of Morris and Wash- 
ington avenues. As early as about the middle of De- 
cember, after Washington's arrival (on the first), a 
row of about a dozen huts had been erected for the 
accommodation of the life guard. Each hut contained 
about eighteen men, the apparent discrepancy between 
the number of the life guard and the hut accommoda- 
tions being explained by the fact that some of the men 
were always on furlough or in the hospital. To the 
southeast somewhat and in what is now the beginning 
of Washington avenue, were probably located the offi- 

3i4 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

cers' quarters, including- those of the officer in com- 
mand of the life guard, who was Major Caleb Gibbs. 
"The Commander-in-Chief's Guard" was organized 
on the twelfth day of March, in the year 1776, at Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts. The general order, pursuant 
to which this corps was organized, is here appended: 

"Head-Quarters, Cambridge, March 11, 1776. 

"The General is desirous of selecting a particular number 
of men as a guard for himself and baggage. The colonel 
or commanding officers of each of the established regiments, 
the artillery and riflemen excepted, will furnish him with 
four, that the number wanted may be chosen out of them. 
His Excellency depends upon the colonels for good men, 
such as they can recommend for their sobriety, honesty and 
good behavior. He wishes them to be from five feet eight 
inches to five feet ten inches, handsomely and well made, 
and, as there is nothing in his eyes more desirable than 
cleanliness in a soldier, he desires that particular attention 
may be made in the choice of such men as are clean and 
spruce. They are all to be at headquarters tomorrow pre- 
cisely at 12 o'clock at noon, when the number of men 
wanted will be fixed upon. The General neither wants them 
with uniforms nor arms, nor does he desire any man to be 
sent to him that is not perfectly willing or desirous of being 
of this Guard — they should be drilled men." 

Carlos E. Godfrey, M. D., in his valuable work "The Com- 
mander-in-Chiefs Guards Revolutionary War," says: "The 
necessity for such a corps was early manifested after Wash- 
ington had assumed command of the American forces at 
Cambridge July 3, 1775, by the rapid accumulation of valua- 
ble papers and for the safety of his person from the ene- 
mies that abounded in and about the camp; and, during the 
existence of the organization, it was always esteemed a 

315 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

mark of particular distinction by the soldiers to be mem- 
bers of this command." 

One of the most interesting features of the above named 
book is the fac-simile signatures of the officers and men 
composing "The Commander-in-Chief's Guards." 

The last survivor of "Washington's Life Guard" was Ser- 
geant Uzall Knapp, whose remains rest under a handsome 
brown freestone monument at the foot of the flag-staff at 
Washington Headquarters, Newburg, New York. 

"I have been at my present quarters since the first day of 
December," wrote Washington from the Ford Mansion on 
the twenty-second of the following January, to his quarter- 
master-general, Nathaniel Green, "and have not a kitchen to 
cook a dinner in; * * * nor is there a place, at this mo- 
ment, in which a servant can lodge, with the smallest degree 
of comfort. Eighteen belonging to my family and all Mrs. 
Ford's are crowded together in her kitchen, and scarce 
one of them able to speak for the colds they have.' 

Silas B. Condict, in Genealogical History of the Ford 
Family of Morris County, (written in the year 1879), says 
"Darius Pierson, when a boy, carted wood for General 
Washington during the winter that he was at the Ford Head- 
quarters in Morristown. Our grandparents have often told 
us of the extreme cold of the winter that Washington spent 
when at the Ford mansion then comparatively a new house 
(the same house now standing on those beautiful grounds), 
and of the great suffering those noble soldiers endured then 
encamped on Fort Nonsense. General Washington would of- 
ten tell Darius to go in the house and warm himself, while 
he, Washington, would unload the wood." 

A log- kitchen was soon afterward built at the east 
end of the house for the accommodation of Washing- 
ton and his family; and at the west end of the house 
another log structure was erected for use as a general 

316 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

office. This office was occupied during the day, par- 
ticularly, by Washington and some of his staff; his 
sleeping-room was on the second floor of the house. 
Among the members of his family of eighteen were 
a portion of the winter at least, Martha Washington, 
and Colonel Alexander Hamilton, Major Tench Tighl- 
man, several servants, and last, but by no means least, 
Mrs. Thompson, an Irishwoman, the efficient and re- 
sourceful housekeeper. Readers of this story will, 
without doubt, agree with the writer in speaking of 
Mrs. Thompson as a resourceful housekeeper, when it 
is related that at a time of great scarcity of food at 
headquarters, and throughout the army, for that mat- 
ter, she remarked one day to Washington : 

"We have nothing but the rations to cook, sir." 

"Well, Mrs. Thompson/' replied he, "you must cook the 
rations, for I have not a farthing to give you." 

"If you please sir, let one of the gentlemen give me an 
order for six bushels of salt." 

"Six bushels of salt!" exclaimed Washington in manifest 
astonishment; "what for?" 

Fully equal to the occasion, the housekeeper replied: "To 
preserve the fresh beef, sir." 

The order was given, and on the following day there 
was no scarcity of food at the table of the outgeneraled 
commander-in-chief. Upon ascertaining the apparent 
source of the ample food supply, Washington adminis- 
tered a mild rebuke to his housekeeper, in the follow- 
ing words: 

"You have done wrong in expending your money, for I 

317 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

do not know when I can repay you. I owe you too much 
already to permit the debt being increased, and our situation 
is not such as to induce very sanguine hope." 

Never did the hopefulness of the womanly nature 
find more expression than in the ready response of 
Mrs. Thompson. 

"Dear sir," she said, " it is always darkest just be 
fore the daylight ;" and a finer illustration of womanly 
tact is seldom seen than that exhibited in the closing 
words of her remark, "I hope your excellency will for- 
give me for bartering salt for other necessaries now 
on the table." 

Inasmuch as salt, during the period under consider- 
ation, was $8 a bushel, the people in the country sur- 
rounding Morristown were very willing to exchange 
their products for it. Some of them, indeed, as we 
learn from a contemporary newspaper, were willing to 
"exchange one bushel of salt for seven and a half bush- 
els of flax seed." 

Allusion has been made to the scarcity of food in the 
patriot army during the winter of its second encamp- 
ment in Morristown, and no better or more convincing 
evidence of this can be given than the citation of a few 
extracts from extant letters of Washington. For ex- 
ample on the sixteenth of December, in the year 1779, 
the commander-in-chief wrote from his log cabin of- 
fice, west of the Ford mansion to Joseph Read, at 
Philadelphia : 

"The situation of the Army with respect to supplies, is 
3i8 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

beyond description, alarming'. It has been five or six weeks 
past on half allowance, and we have not more than three 
days bread at a third allowance, on hand, nor any where 
within reach. When this is exhausted, we must depend on 
the precarious gleanings of the neighboring country. Our 
magazines are absolutely empty every where, and our com- 
missaries entirely destitute of money or credit to replenish 
them. We have never experienced a like extremity at any 
period of the war. * * * This representation is the result 
of a minute examination of our resources." 

Again, on the eighth of the month following, Wash- 
ington wrote to the magistrates of New Jersey : 

"The present situation of the army, with respect to pro- 
visions, is the most distressing we have experienced since the 
beginning of the war. For a fortnight past, the troops, both 
officers and men, have been almost perishing for want. 
They have been alternately without bread or meat the whole 
time, with a very scanty allowance of either, and frequently 
destitute of both. They have borne their sufferings witTi a 
patience that merits the approbation and ought to excite 
the sympathy of their countrymen. But they are now re- 
duced to an extremity no longer to be supported." 

"We have had the virtue and patience of the army put to 
the severest trial," wrote Washington in a private letter to a 
friend. "Sometimes it has been five or six days together 
without bread; at other times as many without meat; and 
once or twice, two or three days at a time, without either. 
* * * At one time the soldiers ate every kind of horse 
food but hay. Buckwheat, common wheat, rye and Indian 
corn, composed the meal which made their bread." 

The subsequent response of the people of New Jer- 
sey to the noble appeal of Washington for provisions 

3i9 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

for his destitute army was so prompt and generous 
that he was able on the twentieth of January of the 
same year to write to Dr. John Witherspoon as fol- 
lows : 

"All the counties of this State that I have heard from have 
attended to my requisition for provisions, with the most 
cheerful and commendable zeal." 

Of the severity of the winter of 1779-80, and the 
consequent suffering of the patriot army, a better con- 
ception cannot be obtained by the reader than from 
an extract from the military journal of Dr. Thatcher. 
This extract is under date of the fourteenth of Decem- 
ber of the former year, and of January 3, 1780, it says: 

"The snow on the ground is about two feet deep and the 
weather extremely cold; the soldiers are destitute of both 
tents and blankets, and some of them are actually bare- 
footed and almost naked. * * * But the sufferings of the 
poor soldiers can scarcely be described; while on duty they 
are unavoidably exposed to all the inclemency of the storm 
and severe cold; at night they now have a bed of straw on 
the ground and a single blanket to each man; they are badly 
clad and some are destitute of shoes. * * * The snow 
is now from four to six feet deep. * * * For the last 
ten days we received but two pounds of meat a man. * * * 
The consequence is the soldiers are so enfeebled from hun- 
ger and cold as to be almost unable to perform military duty 
or labor in constructing their huts. It is well known that 
General Washington experiences the greatest solicitude for 
the sufferings of his army and is sensible that they in general 
conduct with heroic patience and fortitude." 

It is through the courtesy of Henry B. Hoffman, of 
320 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Morristown, that the writer is able to present the fol- 
lowing letter, the original of which is in the possession 
of Airs. James B. Bowman, of Mendham, a descendant 
of Stephen Day, Esq., to whom said communication 
was originally addressed: 

"Morristown, November 6th, 1780. 
"Sir— 

"The great demands of the Army for Forage from this 
county, and the method in which it has been taken proves 
very distressing. I have therefore at the request of a num- 
ber of the Magistrates appointed a meeting to-morrow at 
my office to consult on this important affair and endeavor to 
alleviate the distress of individuals by a general demand from 
the whole county. I request your personal attendance at ten 
o'clock in the forenoon. 

"Am respectfully your obedient servant, 

"JOS. LEWIS, Com. 
"Justice Day." 

Joseph Lewis, at the period above mentioned, was 
Deputy Quartermaster-General of New Jersey. His 
residence was on what is now Morris Street, next be- 
yond the house occupied by the Rev. Timothy Johnes, 
(whose daughter he married) and on the same side of 
the street. His office may have been at his residence. 
The Justice Day to whom the foregoing letter was 
written was Justice Stephen Day, of Chatham; he to 
whom Washington once wrote, asking him to solicit 
supplies for the Continental Army, which he did. 
Squire Day headed the list with a beef. 

Captain William Tuttle of the New Jersey brigade, 

321 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

is authority for the statement that "there were paths 
about the camps on Kimball Hill that were marked 
with real blood expressed from the cracked and frozen 
feet of soldiers who had no shoes." 

From a poem entitled "Rhoda Farrand," first pub- 
lished in a magazine, Our Continent, edited by Judge 
Tourgee, several years ago, the following extract is 
given, which thrillingly relates its own story: 

"We are here for the winter in Morristown, 

And a sorry sight are our men to-day, 

In tatters and rags with no signs of pay. 

As we marched to camp, if a man looked back, 

By the dropping of blood he could trace our track; 

For scarcely a man has a decent shoe, 

And there's not a stocking the army through; 

So send us stockings as quick as you can, 

My company needs them, every man. 

And every man is a neighbor's lad; 

Tell this to their mothers: They need them bad. 

Then, if never before, beat Rhoda's heart, 

'Twas time to be doing a woman part, 

She turned to her daughters, Hannah and Bet, 

Girls, each on your needles a stocking set. 

Get my cloak and hood; as for you, son Dan, 

Yoke up the steers just as quick as you can; 

Put a chair in the wagon, as you're alive, 

I will sit and knit while you go and drive, 

They started at once on Whippany road, 

She knitting away while he held the goad. 

At Whippany Village she stopped to call 

On the sisters Prudence and Mary Ball. 

She would not go in, she sat in her chair, 

And read to the girls her letter from there. 

322 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

That was enough, for their brothers three 
Were in Lieutenant Farrand's company. 
Then on Rhoda went, stopping here and there, 
To rouse the neighbors from her old chair." 

The result of the heroic efforts of this patriotic wo- 
man, assisted by her not less patriotic daughters and 
son, was, that the stockings poured into the New Jer- 
sey camp down the Jockey Hollow road "in a perfect 
shower." From S. A. Farrand, one of the headmas- 
ters of the Newark (N. J.) Academy, who, the writer 
is proud to say, is a grandson of the Rhoda Farrand of 
the poem quoted from, the writer learns that the poem 
is in the main historically correct. The poem was 
written by Miss Eleanor A. Hunter, a great-grand- 
daughter of Rhoda Farrand, In reply to the query of 
the present writer as to* how she happened to write this 
patriotic poem, she says: "It was a story told me by 
my mother. She related it to me many times, and I 
never wearied of listening to it. She had heard it as a 
child from Grandmother Rhoda herself. One even- 
ing, after a visit to Morristown, my mother and I were 
talking about Revolutionary days and she told me 
the story once more. Suddenly the thought came to 
me: 'What a good poem that would make.' I retired 
to my room and put the story in rhyme then and there 
and brought it out and gave it to my mother." The 
poem, as already mentioned, was subsequently pub- 
lished. 

"Where's the general? Where's the general?" ex- 
claimed a young man visiting at the Ford mansion in 

323 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

the winter of 1779-80, as, in great trepidation, he 
rushed downstairs and into the spacious hallway on 
the first floor at midnight of a certain evening. 

"Be quiet, young man, be quiet," was Washington's 
mild rebuke, as with his customary moderation he al- 
so descended the stairway from his sleeping-room. 
The cause of the commotion and its attendant circum- 
stances, occurring at the unseasonable hour sug- 
gested, was what proved to be a false alarm of the ap- 
proach of a British force. These alarms, which were 
not infrequent occurrences during the winter of Wash- 
ington's occupancy, as headquarters, of the now fa- 
mous Ford mansion, were followed by the barricading 
of the doors by the life guard and the opening of the 
windows, at each of the latter of which about five of 
the guard would place themselves, with muskets 
loaded and cocked, in readiness for repelling attack. 
On the approach of the American troops dispatched 
■from camp for the defense of the headquarters, the life 
guard would retire from the positions assumed, and, 
rejoining their particular command, await further or- 
ders. The necessity for their services having ceased 
the troops would then return leisurely to camp. 

"Timothy Ford, a son of Washington's hostess" at 
the Ford Mansion, was a severe sufferer during the 
winter spent there by the commander-in-chief, "from 
the effects of a wound received in a battle the previous 
fall; and among other pleasing courtesies we are told 
that every morning Washington knocked at Timo- 



3-4 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

thy's door, and asked how the young soldier had 
passed the night." 

How like the living present it causes the past to ap- 
pear, as one reads in a private letter written from 
Basking Ridge, on the twenty-second day of Decem- 
ber, in the year 1779, that: 

"I rode out today on purpose to take a view of our 
encampments. I found it excessively cold; but was glad to 
see most of our poor soldiers were under good roofs. The 
encampments are exceedingly neat; the huts are all of a size, 
and placed in more exact order than Philadelphia; you 
would be surprised to see how well they are built without 
nails. Headquarters is at Morristown, and the army extends 
from thence along the hills nearly to this place." 

Martha Washington ("a small, plump, elegantly 
formed woman") reached the Ford mansion by 
way of Trenton, where Virginia troops were paraded 
in her honor, on the twenty-eighth of December, in 
the year 1779, while the great snow storm mentioned 
by Dr. Thatcher was raging. That she was a worthy 
companion of her distinguished husband, the follow- 
ing authentic incident will demonstrate. During the 
winter of her sojourn at the Ford mansion she was 
honored by a call from several representative Hano- 
ver ladies. As one of these ladies afterward remarked, 
"We were dressed in our most elegant silks and ruffles, 
and so were introduced to her ladyship. And don't 
you think we found her with a speckled homespun 
apron on, and engaged in knitting a stocking! She re- 
ceived us very handsomely, and then resumed fier 

3^5 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

knitting. In the course of her conversation she said 
very kindly to us, whilst she made her needles fly, that 
'American ladies should be patterns of industry to 
their countrywomen. * * * We must become in- 
dependent of England by doing without those articles 
which we can make ourselves. Whilst our husbands 
and brothers are examples of patriotism, we must be 
examples of industry.' 

" 1 do declare,' said one of these visitors, 'I never 
felt so shame and rebuked in my life.' " 

There was evidently pressing need of industry, and 
of economy also, on the part of the good women of 
Morris County, for during the winter of 1779-80 their 
"husbands and brothers" were paying for first-quality 
hay 100 pounds per ton; for wheat, $50 per bushel; 
for corn, $30 per bushel, and for other necessaries in 
proportion. If a carriage ride were indulged in. the 
bill was, for one horse, twenty-four hours, $6, or 
twenty-five cents per hour. 

The value of slaves in New Jersey at the time may 
be inferred from such advertisements as the following: 
"One Thousand Dollars Reward for the recovery of 
my negro man, Toney." One dollar in specie was 
equivalent to forty in paper money; and the poor sol- 
diers of the patriot army were paid in paper money. 
That Washington was not left with but a mere "cor- 
poral's guard" to continue the struggle for national in- 
dependence, was due to the inborn and unquenchable 
love of freedom, which brightly burned in the hearts 
of the patriot soldiery composing his army. 

326 




CHAPTER XVII 

"True fortitude is seen in great exploits 
That justice warrants, and that wisdom guides; 
All else is tow'ring frenzy and distraction." 




HE winter of the years 1779-80 wit- 
nessed one of the most important 
gatherings ever held in Morristown, 
if not, indeed, in America. It was 
convened in Dickerson's tavern, 
then kept by Robert Norris, on 
what is now the corner of Water and Spring streets. 
Important in itself, because of the object and the per- 
sonnel of the gathering, it was important also when 
the consequencs to its central figure and to the Amer- 
ican colonies are carefully considered. 

The central figure of this momentous gathering in 
Morristown was none other than Benedict Arnold, 
hitherto by common consent one of the bravest and 
most efficient officers in the Continental army; the ob- 
ject, his court-martial; the consequences, as will be 
seen, the making of a traitor to the cause of freedom, 

327 



HISTORIC MORR1STOWN, NEW JERSEY 

the loss to the patriot army of a splendid officer and 
the widespread alarm of Freedom's steadfast friends, 
which found expression in the sad exclamation of 
Washington, when irresistible evidence of Arnold's 
treason was presented to him: "Whom can we trust 
now?" 

Benedict Arnold was born in Norwich, Connecticut, 
in the year 1740. On the breaking- out of the Revolu- 
tion he eagerly espoused the cause of the colonies. In 
the month of May, in the year 1775, he ably assisted 
Colonel Ethan Allen in the capture of Ticonderoga 
and Crown Point. In conjunction with General Mont- 
gomery, Arnold, in the month of December, in the 
year 1775, after a tedious and hazardous march 
through the State of Maine, and with but a mere hand- 
ful of the troops with which he had started, besieged 
Quebec for a period of three weeks. At the end of this 
time an unsuccessful assault was made on the enemy's 
works, in which he exhibited indomitable courage. In 
this assault, Arnold received a severe wound and was 
carried from the field. In harassing the retreating 
British troops under General Tryon, from Danbury, 
Connecticut, Arnold bore honorable part with Gen- 
erals Wooster and Silliman, the former of whom was 
slain. 

On hearing of the volunteered approach of Arnold 
with his ample force of patriot troops, the Indians fled 
in great haste from before besieged Fort Schuyler, in 
consequence of which the siege was suddenly aband- 
oned by the enemy. In the battle of Saratoga, result- 

328 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

ing in Burgoyne's surrender, Arnold specially distin- 
guished himself, receiving a second wound in the right 
leg. After the evacuation of Philadelphia by the Brit- 
ish, because, in part, of his disabled condition, General 
Arnold was placed in command of that city, and there 
occurred the unfortunate events which led to his 
court-martial. This, in brief, is Arnold's military record 
prior to the year 1780. 

The terse summons to the gathering in Dickerson's 
tavern, was as follows: "Headquarters, Morristown, 
December 22, 1779. The court-martial, whereof Ma- 
jor-General Howe is president, to sit to-morrow, 10 
o'clock, at Norris's tavern." From this order it ap- 
pears that the necessary arrangements for the trial had 
alreadv been made. In accordance with the order from 
the commander-in-chief, issued from' the Ford mansion 
the following officers, constituting, by appointment of 
Washington, the court-martial, convened at the Dick- 
erson Tavern on Thursday morning, December 23: 
Major-General Robert Howe, president; Brigadier- 
General Henry Knox, Brigadier-General William 
Maxwell, Brigadier-General Mordecai Gist (some- 
times spelled Gest) and eight colonels, and before this 
body Benedict Arnold was summoned for trial. 

The court-martial, which convened on the morning 
of December 23, was resumed on four subsequent 
days, and on the last, December 30, it was adjourned, 
to afford Arnold opportunity to procure additional ev- 
idence. On Wednesdey, the nineteenth day of January 
following, and on four consecutive days thereafter, the 

3^9 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

court-martial continued its session, adjourning at last 
until the twenty-sixth day of the same month. At 
this latter session the decision of the court-martial was 
rendered. 

The writer has been informed, and reliably, as he 
conceives, that the particular room in Dickerson's tav- 
ern in which the court was convened was that situated 
on the right as one entered the front door of this fa- 
mous hostelry. This is said to have been the barroom 
and the bar seems to have run across the easterly end 
of it. Down a few steps, at the southwest end of the 
room alluded to, was a large, old-fashioned stone bake 
oven, the form of which could be seen on the exterior 
of the building. 

The charges brought against Arnold were, briefly 
slated: permitting a Tory vessel (while he was in com- 
mand at Philadelphia, in the year 1778) to enter port 
without acquainting the commander-in-chief or the 
State officials of the fact; closing stores and shops, 
thus preventing purchases by the people of the "Quak- 
er City," but making purchases for his personal ad- 
vantage; the imposition upon the local militia of what 
were considered menial services; the purchase, at an 
inadequate price, of a prize-ship captured and brought 
into port by a State privateer; granting to an unworthy 
person a pass to enter the enemy's lines; the transpor- 
tation of the private property of Tories in wagons be- 
longing to the State; an indecent and disrespectful re- 
fusal to explain to the Council of Pennsylvania the 
reasons for using the State wagons for the benefit of 

330 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Tories, and lastly, partiality exhibited toward the ad- 
herents of the King of Great Britain and the neglectful 
treatment of the patriot authorities of Philadelphia. 

These charges, as originally and fully stated, had 
been brought to the attention of Arnold in the spring 
of the year 1779, by the supreme executive council of 
Pennsylvania, and he personally demanded of Wash- 
ington a court-martial, and requested a speedy inves- 
tigation of the crimes alleged. May first of the year 
1779, was the first date designated by the commander- 
in-chief for Arnold's trial, but more time for the gath- 
ering of evidence being requested by the State officials 
preferring the charges, the trial was postponed one 
month. By this time the military campaign of 1779 
was in progress, and a court-martial was highly im- 
practicable. The cessation of active hostilities, and the 
retirement of the patriot army into winter quarters at 
Morristown in the month of December, of the year 
1779, afforded the opportunity of formally and partic- 
ularly investigating the criminal charges brought 
against General Arnold. What must, in the opinion 
of the writer, have proved a most disagreeable task, 
that of prosecuting the charges against General Arn- 
old, inevitably fell to Lieutenant-Colonel John Law- 
rence, the judge advocate. 

Not only the recollection of Arnold's previous bril- 
liant and invaluable services in the cause of freedom, 
but his personal appearance upon the occasion, and its 
vivid reminder to all present of those services, must, 
as it seems, have rendered the discharge of the duty as- 

33i 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

signed to Colonel Lawrence merely perfunctory. In- 
deed, there is evidence that such was the case. Not 
now to emphasize the facts that the officer arraigned 
before the court at Dickerson's tavern, had not at the 
time, reached the fortieth year of his age; that lie wore 
the insignia of a major-general of the patriot army, 
and that his unprecedented bravery on not, by any 
means, a single field of battle, was evidenced by the 
sword knots fastened about his waist, the gift of his il- 
lustrious commander-in-chief; he bore in his maimed 
and crippled body the badges of two severe wounds, 
the marked evidences of which were sufficient to have 
disarmed prejudice and rancor, and favorably disposed 
the observer toward the distinguished prisoner. Ex- 
plicitly stated, Arnold's right leg had been broken be- 
tween the knee and hip joint at Quebec, and at Sara- 
toga the same leg had again been broken, this time 
between the knee and foot. The result was a short 
and mis-shapen leg, and lameness which necessitated 
the constant use of a cane in walking. 

Arnold, leaning upon his cane, acted as his own 
counsel in this famous trial. As evidence in his favor 
he laid before the court numerous letters and docu- 
ments, including complimentary letters from the com- 
mander-in-chief and commendatory resolutions of 
Congress. Following the presentation of his evidence, 
Arnold addressed the court at considerable length. 
From his address, carefully recorded by the clerk of 
the body before whom he was being tried, the follow- 
ing suggestive extracts are given : 

332 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"When one is charged with practices which his soul 
abhors, and which conscious innocence tells him he has 
never committed, an honest indignation will draw from 
him expressions in his own favor which on other occasions 
might be ascribed to an ostentatious turn of mind. My time, 
my fortune and my person have been devoted to my country 
in this war. * * *" 

Referring to the charge that he had made private 
purchases to his own advantage, he said: 

"If this be true, I stand confessed in the presence of this 
honorable court the vilest of men; I stand stigmatized with 
indellible disgrace. Where is the evidence of this accusa- 
tion? I call upon my accusers to produce it. On the honor 
of a gentleman and a soldier I declare to gentlemen and 
soldiers it is false. If I made considerable purchases, con- 
siderable sales must have been made to me by some persons 
in Philadelphia. Why are not these persons produced?" 

After the close of Arnold's address the court was 
adjourned to the twenty-six day of January, when the 
judge advocate arrayed all available evidence against 
the young officer on trial. This was supplemented by 
a careful summing up by the prosecutor. As an indi- 
cation of the general expectancy of the acquittal of 
Arnold in which he himself shared, it may be said that 
an officer in Stark's brigade, encamped on the Bask- 
ing Ridge road, wrote to a friend: "It is expected he 
will be acquitted with honors." While the verdict of 
the court-martial was, technically speaking, neither a 
conviction nor an acquitaal, the closing paragraph 
amounted to a suggestion that Arnold receive from the 

333 



HISTORIC MORRISTOVVN, NEW JERSEY 

commander-in-chief a reprimand for his alleged mis- 
conduct. This reprimand Washington subsequently 
administered privately and in the most deficate man- 
ner consistent with the court's suggestion. The exact 
words of Washington's reprimand were: 

"The Commander in Chief would have been much happier 
in an occasion of Bestowing commendations on an officer 
who has rendered such Distinguished services to his country 
as Major General Arnold, but in the present case, a sense of 
Duty & a Regard to candour oblige him to declare that he 
Considers his conduct in the instance of the Permit as 
peculiarly Reprehensible, both in a Civil & Military view & 
in the affair of the Waggons as imprudent & Improper." 

At the finding of the court Arnold was disappointed 
and indignant, and, stung by the verdict and the repri- 
mand, he resolved to quit the service and retire to 
private life. From this course the magnanimous com- 
mander-in-chief succeeded in dissuading him, and he 
was appointed by Washington to the command at 
West Point, one of the most important in the service, 
which Arnold accepted. No more convincing proof 
of Washington's confidence in Arnold's loyalty could 
be adduced than this important assignment. If only 
Arnold had clearly understood, what was generally 
conceded by those conversant with the facts to have 
been the case, that the verdict of the court-martial 
convened at Dickerson's tavern, was intended as a 
mere sop to the prejudices of the Council of Pennsyl- 
vania, and that the mild reprimand of his military 
chief partook largely of the nature of a perfunctory 

334 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

service, he would have been saved from the rash step 
which has ever since linked his otherwise honorable 
name with infamy, and the American arms would have 
retained his invaluable services to the close of the 
struggle for freedom. 

A letter from Arnold, during the winter following 
his trial, to Washington, requesting "leave of absence 
from the army during the ensuing summer," on ac- 
count of impaired health, can only be construed as an 
indication that the commander at West Point was still 
brooding over what he considered a gross wrong per- 
petrated upon him as the result of the generally trivial 
charges brought against him by the Pennsylvania 
Council. To Arnold's request Washington replied: 
"You have my permission, though it is my expectation 
and wish to see you in the field." The story of Arn- 
old's attempt at the betrayal of his country, is too fa- 
miliar to readers of history to necessitate rehearsal. 
The saddest commentary upon his treason is the fact, 
that after his removal to England, he lived in obscur- 
ity, and was detested and avoided by the people whose 
cause he had rashly espoused. Whose was the greater 
responsibility for his treasonous conduct — Arnold's, 
or that of his virtually self-confessed persecutors — 
does not yet appear. Coupled with this expression of 
opinion, by the writer, however, is the conviction, that 
no apology should be made for the overt act of treason 
against one's country, whatever be the provocation, 
since the Infinite Creator hath "ordained thy will by 



335 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

nature free, not overruled by fate inextricable, or strict 
necessity." 

In "Appendix A," of the "Proceedings of the M. W. 
Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, of the 
State of New Jersey," for the year 1900, may be found 
the following: "Note — The following memoranda re- 
ferring to the Masonic Convention at Morristown, N. 
J., during the Revolutionary War, at which Brother 
George Washington was personally present, is a tran- 
script of the rough notes which were found among the 
manuscripts left by the late Edmund D. Halsey, Esq., 
of Morristown. Mr. Halsey did not live to complete 
his account of the Convention, but it is thought that 
the notes following are well worthy of preservation in 
the archives of New Jersey Masonry: 

"One of the most interesting events which took place in 
Morristown during the war for independence was the meet- 
ing of the Military Union Lodge of Free and Accepted 
Masons, to celebrate the feast of St. John the Evangelist, in 
December, 1779, in the old Arnold Tavern. The presence of 
Washington, the patriotic character of the resolutions 
adopted, and the number of distinguished officers who took 
part, made it peculiarly noteworthy. It was probably the 
first meeting of the Order in the town, and we can imagine 
with what curiosity the gathering at the inn, and the stately 
procession from thence across the public square to the old 
church, was witnessed by the people, and what an assem- 
blage of citizens and soldiers filled the sacred building to 
hear the 'polite discourse' of Dr. Baldwin. No newspaper 
was then printed in the county from which a report of the 
proceedings can be gathered, and the letters which have been 
preserved of that period are silent on this subject. 

336 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"The revival of interest in matters of this period has 
brought to light many of the circumstances attending this 
meeting, including its minutes which were found in the 
records of the Brotherhood in Connecticut and which for 
many years were supposed to have been lost. 

"In February, 1776, Richard Gridley, Deputy Grand Master 
of St. John's Grand Lodge, in Massachusetts, granted a war- 
rant to 'American Union Lodge, whose members belonged 
to the Connecticut troops and were then engaged in the mili- 
tary service of the Colonies about Boston. After the 
evacuation of Boston, and when the army had moved to the 
vicinity of New York, a confirmation of this charter was 
applied for from the Masonic authorities of New York. This 
was denied, but a new warrant was authorized under the 
name of 'Military Union Lodge, No. 1.' This latter name 
was distasteful to the members, and they never used it when 
it could be avoided, but continued to call themselves by their 
more original and patriotic title. 

"The Lodge kept up its meetings when the army was not 
on the march, and members were received from time to time 
from regiments of different States. In December, 1778, Gen- 
eral Washington was present at the celebration of St. John's 
Day in Philadelphia, leading the procession to Christ's 
Church, where a Masonic sermon was delivered by Rev. Dr. 
William Smith, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of 
Pennsylvania. The name of Washington became a Masonic 
toast and first in order at Masonic festivals. 

"The Continental Army arrived in Morristown about the 
first of December, 1779, and proceeded to build their huts 
on the Kemble and Wick Farms, between that town and 
Baskingridge. Washington took up his residence at the 
Ford mansion, and the officers of his staff were quartered in 
various houses about the village. Almost immediately, on 
the fifteenth, the Masonic brethren came together and held a 
meeting at 'Colonel Gray's quarters' to elect officers and to 
prepare for the coming festival of St. John, the evangelist. 

337 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

The Minutes of this meeting, as of that which followed, are 
found in the 'History of Free and Accepted Masons in New 
York,' by Charles T. McClenachan, Historian of the Grand 
Lodge, a work from which I am kindly permitted to make 
extracts at pleasure. The originel minutes are in possession 
of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut. Captain-Lieutenant 
Jonathan Heart, of the Third Connecticut Regiment, was 
chosen Worshipful Master; Lieutenant and Paymaster Rich- 
ard Sill, of the Eighth Regiment, Senior Warden ; Captain 
Robert Warner, of Colonel Wyllis' Regiment, Junior War- 
den; Captain William Richards, of Starr's Regiment, Treas- 
urer; Surgeon John R. Watrous, of Wyllis' Regiment, Sec- 
retary ; Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Grosvenor, Senior Dea- 
con; Captain Henry Champion, of the First Connecticut, 
Junior Deacon; Privates Joseph Lorain and Thomas Binns, 
of Captain Pond's Company, Sixth Connecticut Regiment, 
Tylers. 

"Worshipful Master Jonathan Heart was appointed 'a 
committee from the different lines in the army at Morris- 
town to take into consideration some matters respecting the 
good of Masonry' (probably to arrange for the coming festi- 
val). In preparation for this, Captain Thomas Kinney and 
Major Jeremiah Bruen, of Morristown, went to Newark and 
borrowed from St. John's Lodge, No. i, which had been 
established there in 1761, the necessary paraphernalia. In 
the old minute-book of this Lodge, under date of December 
24th, 1779, is found the following receipt for this property. 
'An acct. of sundrie articles taken out of the Lodge Chest of 
Newark St. John's Lodge, No. 1, by consent of Bro. John 
Robinson, Bro. Lewis Ogden, Brother Moses Ogden and 
lent unto Brother Thomas Kinney and Bro. Jerry Brewin to 
carry as far as Morristown, said Brothers Kinney and Bre- 
win promising on the word of Brothers to return the same 
articles as p's Inventory below unto our Bro. John Robin- 
son, present Secretary when called-for witness our hands 
Brothers as below: — 

338 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

'24 Aprons, besides one that was bound and fring'd which 
Bro. Kinney claims as his own. 

l 2Ebony Truntchions tipt with silver, the other they are to 
get if to be found. 

'3Large Candlesticks. 

'3 Large Candlemolds. 

'1 Silk Pedestal Cloth Bound with Silver Lace. 

'1 Damask Cutchion. 

'1 Silver Key with a blue Ribbon stripped with black. 

'1 Silver Levell with a blue Ribbon stripped with black. 

'1 " Square 

'1 " Plumb " " " 

'Newark, Dec'r 24, 1779. 

'(Signed) Thomas Kinney 
Jerh. Bruen.' 



"The meeting for which these preparations were made was 
held in the Arnold (formerly Kinney's) Tavern, on the north 
side of the Green, which had been Washington's headquar- 
ters in the winter of 1777, after the battle of Princeton. It 
was one of the principal hotels in the place, and was fre- 
quented by all the army officers. The 'dancing assembly,' 
for which $13,000 in Continental scrip was raised, was held 
here. * * * "At this time (of the celebration of the festi- 
val of St. John, the Evangelist) the general court martial for 
the trial of General Arnold was holding its sessions at the 
Dickerson Tavern, corner of Water and Spring streets, kept, 
while its owner was in the service, by Robert Norris. The 
entry in its minutes, December 27th, shows that the court 
met only to adjourn, for six of its members and the Judge 
Advocate were of the Masonic fraternity, and had more 
agreeable business on hand that day. 

"In Mr. McClenachan's book is a full account of this meet- 
ing. The minutes read: 

339 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

'Morristown, December 27th, 1779. 
An Entered Apprentices' Lodge was held this day, for the 
celebration of the festival of St. John the Evangelist. 

'Officers present — Brothers Jonathan Heart, Worshipful 
Master; Richard Sill, Senior Warden; Robert Warner. 
Junior Warden; William Richards, Treasurer; John R. 
Watrous, Secretary ; Thomas Grosvenor, Senior Deacon ; 
Brother Little, Junior Deacon, and Lorain and Binns, 
Tylers. 

''Members present — Brothers Stillwell, Higgins, Worthing- 
ton, Curtis, Barker, Gray, Sherman, Craig, Wilson, Bush, 
Judd, Heath, S. Richards, S. Wyllis, Parsons, Huntington, 
Smith, Judson, Clark, Hosmer, J. Wyllis, Fitch, Pierce, Ser- 
geant, Graham, Fitch, Whiting.' 

******* 

"Nearly all the members of the Lodge present were from 
the Connecticut line. This State had a division of two bri- 
gades at Morristown. The First Brigade consisted of the 
First Regiment, Col. Starr; the Third Regiment, Col. 
Wyllis; the Fifth Regiment, Col. Bradley, and the Seventh 
Regiment, Col. Swift. The Second Brigade consisted of the 
Second Regiment, Col. Butler; the Fourth Regiment, Col. 
Durkee; the Sixth Regiment, Col. Meigs; and the Eighth 
Regiment, Col. Sherman. An additional regiment, com- 
manded by Col. Samuel B. Webb, was afterward added to 
this Brigade. 

******* 

"Next in the minutes are the names of sixty-eight visiting 
brethren. First of all comes Washington, and with him was 
Major Caleb Gibbs, of Rhode Island, the commander of his 
life guard, until succeeded by his Lieutenant, William Colfax, 
of New Jersey. He was wounded in the foot in the assault 
on the enemy's redoubt at Yorktown. He was dispatched 
in May, 1780, by Washington to meet Lafayette, who had 
just arrived in Boston, to escort him to the Head Quarters, 

340 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

at Morristown, where Washington writes 'a bed is prepared 
for him.' " * * * Following- is the list of the "visiting 
brethren:" Colonel Alexander Hamilton, Robert Erskine, 
General John Lawrence, General Mordecai Gist, General 
Otto Williams, General William Maxwell, General Elias 
Dayton, General Anthony W. White, Colonel Henry Jack- 
son, Colonel John Brooks, Colonel Richard Butler, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Morgan Conner, Colonel Henry Sherburne, 
Captain Thomas Hughes, Lieutenant John Hubbart, Ensign 
Jeremiah Greenman, Colonel Thomas Kinney, Colonel 
Jacob Arnold, Major Jeremiah Bruen, Dr. Jabez Campfield, 
John Armstrong, Lieutenant Jeremiah Van Renselear, Dr. 
Nicholas Schuyler, Lieutenant Samuel Lewis, Lieutenant 
Gilbert R. Livingston, Lieutenant Philip Connine, Captain 
Leonard Bleecker, Lieutenant and Paymaster John Stagg, 
Adjutant Peter Ellsworth, Lieutenant Thomas Hunt, Lieuten- 
ant Francis Hamner, Colonel Thomas Proctor, Captain 
Thomas Machin, Captain James Maclure, Captain-Lieuten- 
ant John Waldron, Lieutenant Isaac Guion, Captain Elisha 
Harvey, Lieutenant Peter Woodward, Captain-Lieutenant 
Thomas Thompson, Chaplain Andrew Hunter, Captain John 
Sandford, Captain Daniel Piatt, Captain Isaac Craig, Major 
Thomas Church, Captain-Lieutenant Thomas Campbell, 
Captain John Savidge, Captain Nathaniel Van Sant, Surgeon 
Charles McCarter, Lieutenant Peter Summers, Lieutenant 
Wilder Bevins, Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Mentges, Chap- 
lain William Rogers, Lieutenant Edward Spears, Surgeon 
Noah Coleman, Dr. Abraham Baldwin, Captain Henry Ten 
Eyck, Captain Joseph Fox, Lieutenant James Bruff, Paymas- 
ter-General Hezekiah Wetmore, Captain Wilhelmus Ryck- 
man, Captain Samuel Shaw, Thomas Edwards, Lieutenant 
Benjamin L. Peckman, Durfee. 

"The Lodge was opened, and after the usual ceremonies 
had been performed, the brethren formed a procession in the 
following order: 

"i. Bro. Binns, to clear the way. 

341 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

"2. The Band of Music. 

"3. Brother Lorain, with a Drawn Sword. 

"4. The Deacons, with their Rods. 

"5. The Brethren, by Juniority. 

"6. The Passed Masters. 

"7. The Secretary and Treasurer. 

"8. The Wardens, with their Wands. 

"9. The Worshipful Master. 

"The Brethren then proceeded to the Meeting-house, 
where a very 'polite' discourse, adapted to the occasion, was 
delivered by the Rev. Doct. Baldwin, of the Connecticut 
Line. After service, the Brethren returned by the same 
order to the Lodge-room, where a collation was served, &c, 
&c, which being over, the following business was transacted. 

"Voted unanimously, that the thanks of the Lodge be pre- 
sented to the Rev. Dr. Baldwin, for the polite address deliv- 
ered by him this day in public. 

"Voted unanimously, that the Secretary wait on the Rev. 
Dr. Baldwin, with a copy of the minutes, and a request that 
he will favor the Lodge with a copy of the address, and per- 
mission to have it published. 

"A petition was read, representing the present state of 
Freemasonry to the several Deputy Grand Masters in the 
United States of America, desiring them to adopt some 
measures for appointing a Grand Master over said States, 
of which the following is a copy: 

PETITION. 

"To the Most Worshipful, the present Provincial Grand 
Masters in each of the respective United States of America: 

"The petitioners, Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons in 
the several Lines of the Army of these United States, assem- 
bled on the Festival of St. John the Evangelist, at Morris- 
town, Dec. 27th., 1779, to you, as the patrons and safeguard 
of the Craft of America beg leave to prefer their humble 
address. 

342 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"With sincere regret we contemplate the misfortunes of 
war, which have unhappily separated us from the Grand 
Lodge in Europe, and deprived us from the benefits arising 
therefrom, so essentially necessary for the well-being of 
Masonry, and which has, in many instances, been subversive 
of the very institution of the Order. At the same time we 
lament that political disputes and national quarrels should 
influence the exercise of charity and benevolence, and their 
several virtues, so necessary for our present and future happi- 
ness. Yet, considering the present situation of our Lodges 
and Masonry in general, the necessity, for the honor of th« 
Craft, and the importance of enjoying the benefits of so valu- 
able an institution, that some exertions are made for check- 
ing the present irregularities, restoring peace and harmony 
to the Lodges, for opening a way to the enjoyment of the 
fruits of benevolence, charity and brotherly love, and for the 
re-establishment of the Order on the ancient respectable 
foundation; which we conceive can never be done more 
effectually than by the appointment of a Grand Master in and 
over the United States of America. 

"We therefore most earnestly request that the present 
Provincial Grand Masters in the respective said United 
States would take some measure for the appointment of a 
Grand Master in and over the said Thirteen United States of 
America, either by nominating a person proper for that 
office, whose abilities and rank in life shall answer the 
importance of that conspicuous and elevated station, and 
transmit such nomination to our Mother Lodge in Britain, 
that the appointment may be made, or in such other manner 
as shall to them appear most eligible. And we further beg 
leave to express our wishes that the several provincial Grand 
Masters in these States would, in the intermediate time, 
enter into unanimous and vigorous measures for checking 
the growing irregularities in the Society, cementing the dif- 
ferent branches, erasing the distinction between Ancient and 
Modern in these States, that the Craft may be established in 

343 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

unanimity, the established principles of its institution more 
universally extended, and that our conduct may not only be 
the admiration of men in this world, but receive the final 
applause of the Grand Architect of the Universe in the other, 
where there is nothing but light and love. 

"Voted, That the foregoing petition be circulated through 
the different Lines in the Army. 

"Voted, That a committee be appointed from the different 
Lodges in the Army, from each Line, and from the Staff of 
the Army, to convene on the first Monday of February next, 
at Morristown, to take the foregoing petition into considera- 
tion. 

"Voted, That when the dividend of the expense of this day 
shall be paid, each brother will put into the hands of the 
Treasurer or Secretary what he shall see fit, for the use of 
the poor of this town. 

"Voted, That the money so collected be transmitted to 
Bro. Kinney, to appropriate to the necessities, first of the 
widows and orphans of Masons, next to soldiers' wives and 
children in distressed circumstances; if any shall remain, he 
will apply it to those poor persons in this town whom he 
shall judge stand most in need thereof. 

"Lodge closed till called together by the Master's order.' 

"Dr. Abraham Baldwin, who delivered the 'polite dis- 
course,' was Abraham Baldwin, who was born in Guilford, 
Conn., Nov. 6th., 1754, graduated at Yale in 1772 and was 
tutor there until after the beginning of the War. At the time 
of the meeting he was Brigade Chaplain in the Connecticut 
Line. 

******* 

"The meeting-house in which this address was delivered 
was that of the First Presbyterian Congregation, a frame 
building erected at least twenty years before, and to which a 
steeple had been added in 1763. It stood back of and to the 
east of the present church, and was a plain, square building, 
covered, like the Old Court House, with shingles. In 

344 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CExMTURY 

March, I796,after the erection of the present structure, it 
was ordered to be taken down at the expense of the congre 
gation, but was, in fact, moved to the west of the church 
property, was turned into a distillery, and became one of the 
seventeen which Dr. Barnes alleged to have been in the 
bounds of the parish in his day." 

From the following letter, written by Washington 
to General William Irvine, on the ninth day of Janu- 
ary, in the year 1780, it may be reasonably inferred 
that the expedition under the command of Lord Stirl- 
ing (to which our story will soon refer), had, previous 
to the date above mentioned, either been suggested to 
the commander-in-chief by some officer of the patriot 
army, or independently contemplated by him: 

"Circumstanced as things are — men half starved — imper- 
fectly clothed — riotous — and robbing the country people of 
their subsistence from sheer necessity, I think it scarcely 
possible to embrace any moment, however favorable in other 
respects, for visiting the enemy on Staten Island, and yet if 
this frost should have made a firm and solid bridge between 
them and us I should be unwilling — indeed I cannot relin- 
quish the idea of attempting it." 

With whomsoever the idea of an expedition to Stat- 
en Island originated, it was decided upon by Washing- 
ton, as the following second communication to Gener- 
al Irvine proves: 

"Monday, January 10, 1780. I have determined in case the 
present condition of the ice and prospect of its continuance 
will warrant the enterprise, to make an attempt upon the 
enemy's quarters and posts on Staten Island." 

345 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

It was on the fifteenth day of January, five days lat- 
er, in the year 1780, that Quartermaster Joseph Lewis, 
as we learn from one of his letters, received orders 
from General Greene "to procure three hundred sleds 
or sleighs to parade Friday morning at this post and 
at Mr. Kimble's." 

"I did not fail to exert myself on the occasion," wrote 
Lewis, "and the magistrates gained deserved applause. About 
five hundred sleds or sleighs were collected, the majority of 
which were loaded with troops, artillery and so forth. These 
sleds and as many more are to return loaded with stores 
from the British magazines, on Staten Island, except some 
few that are to be loaded with wounded British prisoners. 
About 3,000 troops are gone, under the command of Lord 
Stirling, with a determination to remove all Staten Island, 
bag and baggage, to Morristown!" 

This expedition, of which Quartermaster Lewis thus 
half-humorously writes, and which set out from Mor- 
ristown probably about the seventeenth day of Janu- 
ary, of the year 1780, was a failure, so far as the accom- 
plishment of the intended object was concerned, for 
the enemy having in some way received warning of the 
movement, they were fully prepared to meet tlie Amer- 
ican force, and thwart their designs. In the following 
extract, cited from the New Jersey Gazette, of January 
19, we have a fine specimen of the patriotism which is 
determined to put the best construction upon even the 
misfortunes of war: 

It will "show the British mercenaries with what zeal and 
alacrity the Americans will embrace every opportunity, 

346 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

even in a very inclement season, to promote the interests of 
the country by harassing the enemies to their freedom and 
independence." 

Three days later, Quartermaster Lewis, in a some- 
what more serious frame of mind, and yet with an ap- 
parent tinge of humor, wrote from Morristown: 

"I suppose you have heard of the sucess of our late expedi- 
tion to Staten Island. It was expensive, but answered no 
valuable purpose. It showed the inclination of our inhabi- 
tants to plunder." 

That this expedition was not only expensive, and so 
far as the accomplishment of the main design was 
concerned, fruitless, but disastrous, also, may be in- 
ferred from the circumstance, that of the 3,000 troops 
dispatched to Staten Island, about 500 returned to 
camp on "Kimble's Hill," with frozen feet. By way of 
retaliation for the raid into their lines, a detachment 
of British troops in command of Lieutenant-Colonel 
Bushkirk, between the hours of n and 12 o'clock, on 
the night of January 25, landed quietly at Elizabeth- 
town. The force consisted of three or four hundred 
infantry and one hundred dragoons. They burned the 
meeting-house, townhouse and another building, plun- 
dered some of the inhabitants, took several prisoners 
and retired without the loss of a man. The view taken 
by Washington of the above-mentioned British de- 
scent upon Elizabethtown may be learned from the 
following order issued from the Ford mansion to Gen- 

347 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

eral St. Clair, on the twenty-seventh day of the same 
month and year: 

"You will be pleased to repair to our lines and investigate 
the causes of the late misfortune and disgrace at Elizabeth- 
town, and report your opinion thereupon, as soon as inquiry 
is made." 

On the twenty-ninth day of February, in the year 
1780, Washington wrote to Joseph Reed, of Philadel- 
phia: 

"We have opened an assembly at camp. From this appar- 
ent ease, I suppose it is thought we must be in happy cir- 
cumstances. I wish it was so, but, alas, it is not. Our pro- 
visions are in a manner, gone. We have not a ton of hay at 
command, nor magazine to draw from. Money is extremely 
scarce, and worth little when we get it. We have been so 
poor in camp for a fortnight, that we could not forward the 
public dispatches, for want of cash to support the expresses." 

Of the subscription paper of the "assembly" mentioned by 
Washington, in the foregoing letter, the original of which is 
now in the possession of the Biddle family, on the Delaware, 
the following is a correct transcript: "The subscribers agree 
to pay the sums annexed to their respective names, and an 
equal quota of any further expense which may be incurred 
in the promotion and support of a dancing assembly to be 
held in Morristown, the present winter of 1780. Subscrip- 
tion Moneys to be paid into the hands of a Treasurer to be 
appointed." 

Nath. Greene 400 dolls paid 

H. Knox 400 ditto paid 

John Lawrence 400 dolls paid 

J. Wilkinson 400 dolls paid 

Clement Biddle 400 dolls paid 

348 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 



Robt. H. Harrison 4<x> dolls paid 

R. K. Meade 400 dolls paid 

Alex. Hamilton 400 dolls paid 

Tench Tighlman 400 dolls paid 

C. Gibbs 400 dolls paid 

Jno. Pierce 400 dolls paid 

The Baron de Kalb 400 dolls paid 

Jno. Moylan 400 dolls paid 

Le Ch Dulingsley 400 dolls paid 

Geo. Washington paid F. D. ($400) 

R. Clairborne paid 400 dolls 

Lord Stirling paid 400 dolls 

Col. Hazen paid 400 dolls 

Asa Worthington paid 400 dolls 

Benj. Brown paid 400 dolls 

Major Stagg paid 400 dolls 

James Thompson paid 400 dolls 

H. Jackson paid 400 dolls 

Col. Thomas Proctor paid 400 dolls 

J. B. Cutting paid 400 dolls 

Edward Hand paid 400 dolls 

William Little paid 400 dolls 

Thos. Woodford paid 400 dolls 

Geo. Olney 400 dolls paid 

Jas. Abeel 400 dolls paid 

Robert Erskine 400 dolls paid 

Jno. Cochran 400 dolls paid 

Geo. Draper 400 dolls paid 

J. Burnet 400 dolls paid 

The Rev. Joseph F. Tuttle, D. D., L L. D., in speaking 
of the "dancing assembly," held in Morristown, during the 
winter of 1780, says: "I will frankly confess this subscription 
paper produced an unpleasant sensation in my mind, and no 
reasoning have, as yet, entirely removed the sense of unfitness 
in the contrast of dancing assemblies * * * and the suf- 
ferings of the barefooted, naked, starving soldiers in the 

349 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

camp only four miles off. Just think of what one of those 
men, who did not attend the assembly balls, related. It was 
Capt. Wm. Tuttle who said, 'there was a path which lead 
from the Wicke house down to the Jersey camp and I have 
often seen that path marked with blood, which had been 
squeezed from the cracked and naked feet of our soldiers, 
who had gone up to the house to ask an alms !' How they 
suffered there, with the snow piled about them, with insuffi- 
cient clothing and very scanty and poor food; and yet there 
was dancing at * * * But it is not my object to criti- 
cise this contract; for dancing and dying, feasting and star- 
vation, plenty wreathed with flowers, and gaunt famine bare- 
foot and wreathed in rags, are contrasted facts in other 
places than at Morristown, and at other times than 'this 
present winter of 1870.' My object in mentioning this sub- 
scription paper is to throw light on the currency of the day. 
Here were thirteen thousand six hundred dollars subscribed 
to pay the dancing master and tavern keeper for a few 
nights entertainment. Nominally it is up to the extrava- 
gance of the modern Fifth Avenue; but the entire sum sub- 
scribed in 1780 by those thirty-four gentlemen, for assembly 
balls, was not worth more than three hundred silver dol- 
lars. * * * Let us rather admire than condemn these 
brave men, at Morristown, who were striving to invest the 
stern severities of that winter with something of the gayer 
and more frivolous courtesies of fashionable life." 

The assembly dances, to which reference has been made 
were held in the Arnold tavern hall, and in the large room 
on the second floor of the "Continental Store." 

A more realistic bit of pictorial reference to the so- 
journ of Washington's army in Morristown, has not 
come to the attention of the writer, than the following, 
quoted from "The Story of an Old Farm," by Andrew 
D. Melick, Jr.: "There was constant going and com- 

35o 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

ing between the different posts, and the highways and 
byways were alive with soldiers. Farmer-lads on their 
way to mill with sacks of corn athwart their horses' 
backs, rode 'cheek by joul' with spurred and booted 
troopers, and listened with open-eyed wonder to their 
warlike tales. The rattle of farm wagons was supple- 
mented by the heavy roll of artillery trains, and squads 
of infantry were met at every hand." 

The time for the removal of the American army 
from its winter quarters in Morristown and vicinity, 
and its active participation in another campaign, was 
approaching. The well authenticated incident about 
to be related (the popular version is here given), will 
serve as an illustration of the methods resorted to in 
the endeavor to procure horses for the transportation 
of army stores, and for use in the cavalry battalions. 

On the right of the road leading westward toward 
Mendham, and a short distance from the intersection 
of the Jockey Hollow road with the former road, stood 
a house, of the New England style of architecture. It 
was the residence of Henry Wick, the owner of a con- 
siderable portion of the land on which the camps of 
the patriot army were pitched. His daughter, Tem- 
perance, familiarly called "Tempe," was an expert 
horsewoman, and was the owner of a young Horse to 
which she was strongly attached. Perhaps her fond- 
ness for this noble animal may have been in a measure 
owing to the imbibition, on her part, of the sentiment 
of the poet, who says : 



351 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

"Let cavillers deny 

That brutes have reason; sure 'tis something more, 
'Tis heaven directs, and stratgems inspires 
Beyond the short extent of human thought." 

A mile, it may have been, below the Wick house, on 
the road to Mendham, lived Dr. William Leddell, a 
brother-in-law of "Temple Wick." On a certain day 
in the spring of the year 1780, while preparations for 
the removal of the patriot army were in progress, 
Temple Wick saddled and bridled her horse, and rode 
down to Dr. Leddell's for a social call. The call ended 
she mounted her horse to return home. Nearly in 
front of the residence of her brother-in-law, she was 
accosted by several American soldiers, who command- 
ed her to dismount, and let them have her horse. One 
of the soldiers had rudely seized the bridle reins. Ap- 
pearing to be submissive to the loss of her horse, 
meanwhile entreating the soldiers not to take her fav- 
orite, she was formulating in her active brain the ruse 
which, as we shall see outwitted them. 

"I am sorry," she coolly remarked, "to part with my 
horse, but if you are resolved upon taking him from 
me, let me ask of you two favors, first, that you re- 
turn him to me, if possible, and second, whether you 
return him or not, to treat him well." 

Completely thrown off their guard by the seeming 
acquiescence of the gentle rider in the loss of her 
horse, the reins were released by the soldier who had 
held them. "Temple" immediately touched the animal 
with her whip, and like an arrow shot by a strong arm 

352 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

from the bow he sped up the hill toward home. As 
she rode away at full speed, one or more of the sol- 
diers discharged their muskets in the direction of the 
bold rider; not, however, with the intention of hitting 
her, but probably as a means of frightening her into 
stopping in her rapid flight. 

Onward sped horse and rider, up the long hill lead- 
ing to the Wick house, on reaching which the horse 
was taken round to the north side, into the kitchen, 
from thence into the parlor, and through the parlor 
into the spare bed chamber at the northwest corner of 
the building. The single wooden window shutter was 
at once closed, and the horse, after a caress or two 
from its rider, was left in the darkened room. The sol- 
diers, unwilling to be baffled in their endeavor to pro- 
cure the horse, hastened on foot up the hill to the 
Wick house, and after searching the premises in vain 
for the coveted prize, they departed crestfallen. 
"Tempe's" favorite horse was kept for three weeks in 
the spare bed chamber, by the expiration of which 
time the American troops had taken their departure 
from the vicinity. The prints of the horse's hoofs 
upon the floor of the bed chamber in the Wick house 
were visible for many years after the occurrence of the 
incident related. They disappeared when, a few years 
since, a new floor was laid in the room. 

The writer has conversed with several persons, each 
of whom "with my own eyes" saw the hoof prints of 
"Tempe" Wick's favorite saddle horse in the spare bed 
chamber. The single window in the room mentioned 

353 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

may be seen in the picture accompanying the present 
chapter; it is on the first floor and farthest from the 
front of the famous house. Interesting to relate, the 
exterior and interior of the Wick house, stfll (1905) 
standing, is practically the same as in Revolutionary 
times. The rooms, so far as dimensions and relative 
positions are concerned, are exactly as they were in 
the year 1780. "Leddell's Mill" is still in operation, 
grinding the grain as it did 125 years ago. The stone 
house — "Dr. Leddell's" — still greets the visitor as he 
approaches the spot where a woman's tact and bravery 
outwitted a squad of soldiers greedy for a good horse. 




354 




CHAPTER XVIII 

"A clatter of hoofs on the road! a shout! 
Bring General Wayne to his feet, in a flash 
He mounts his steed, for the troops are out! 
And now Mad Anthony makes a dash 
To turn them back." 

Ballads of New Jersey in the Revolution. 




ROM several reliable contemporary 
witnesses it is learned that during 
his sojourns in Morristown Wash- 
ington was seldom heard to laugh 
aloud; and in view of the grave re- 
sponsibilities which continuously 
weighed upon the mind and heart of the commander- 
in-chief of the patriot army, this circumstance should 
not, and doubtless will not, cause surprise. That 
Washington's customary seriousness, in the face of the 
exigencies that confronted him, especially during his 
two sojourns at the county seat of Morris, did not re- 
sult in moroseness, is evidenced by the well authenti- 
cated fact that a placid smile upon his noble counte- 
nance was a frequent and noticeable occurrence. 

355 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

A few instances, however, have been recorded of a 
hearty laugh indulged in by the ordinary sedate and 
dignified commander-in-chief. One of these has come 
to us through General John Doughty, whose acquaint- 
ance with his chief was intimate, and who became a 
resident of Morristown after the close of the Revolu- 
tion. It seems that Washington had purchased a 
young and spirited horse, whose breaking to the sad- 
dle he had committed to a man in Morristown, who 
had made loud professions of efficiency in that particu- 
lar line. The process of breaking, which took place in 
a large yard south of the Morristown Green, was eag- 
erly witnessed by the commander-in-chief and some of 
his friends. It was not without several characteristic 
flourishes that the professed expert leaped to the 
horse's back, but scarcely was he seated when the 
young animal threw his head downward and his heels 
upward in consequence of which sudden movements 
the over-confident rider was precipitately hurled to 
the ground. Fortunately, the man received no injury 
save a little internal shaking up and a few slight 
bruises. As the dismounted rider lay on the ground, 
dazed but uninjured, Washington burst into hearty 
laughter, which is said to have brought tears to his 
eyes. Who afterward successfully broke the young 
horse for the commander-in-chief the writer is unable 
at present to say. 

General John Doughty, whose name has been men- 
tioned, was a man of so great importance as to be de- 
serving of more than a mere passing allusion. From a 

356 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

writer (J. D. O.), who has carefully prepared a life- 
sketch of this illustrious soldier, the following extract 
is quoted: 

"John Doughty, the son of Thomas, a gentleman of Scot- 
tish descent, and of Gertrude Leroux the descendant of a 
Huguenot family, was born about the middle of the last (thr 
eighteenth) century. In 1770 he graduated at King's (now Co- 
lumbia) college in the city of New York, and in 1776, when 
the war broke out between Great Britain and the colonies, 
he began his military career as 'Captain Leftenant in a com- 
pany of artellery of the State of New Jersey,' as expressed 
in the commission which is in my possession. The next year 
he was promoted to the service of the Continental, or regu- 
lar army, and as Captain or Mayor of Artillery, he served 
during the entire war with Washington, Knox, Steuben, Laf- 
ayette, Hamilton and others. 

On the conclusion of peace, he was ordered to our Wes- 
tern territory, to establish forts or block houses on the O'hio 
river and elsewhere, and to select sites for our future cities. 
It is melancholy to find that even in those early days of the 
Republic, there existed corrupt and designing men, who 
dared to insult a public officer by offering money and other 
inducements to select their lands for these sites. The in- 
tegrity and sagacity of Major Doughty have been fully 
proved by subsequent events, and particuarly by the city of 
Cincinnati; where he established a fort and garrison. Many 
years ago I met in Virginia an enthusiastic citizen of Cin- 
cinnati, who assured me that the name of John Doughty was 
still remembered and venerated in that great Capital. 

In the course of this Western expedition Major Doughty 
had occasion to survey the Tennessee river, and while in a 
barge manned by sixteen United States soldiers, he was sur- 
rounded and attacked by a large force of Indians in canoes. 
Seated in the stern of his boat he kept up a continuous fire 

357 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

against the enemy, the muskets or rifles being reloaded and 
handed to him by his men. When eleven out of the sixteen 
soldiers had been killed or disabled, matters began to look 
serious, and the Major thought the only thing to be done 
was to put an end to the Indian chief. Standing up, he 
'took a aim' (to use his own words) as cool and deliberate 
as if he had been shooting a robin. The shot happily was 
successful, the chieftain fell and the Indians fled. With his 
diminishing crew it was impossible to make any headway 
against the current of the rivers, and he floated down the 
Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi, until he reached the Span- 
ish post in Louisiana. He threw himself upon the hospi- 
tality of the commandant of the garrison, by whom he was 
kindly entertained, and furnished with an escort to his own 
country. His protracted absence had caused the greatest anx- 
iety to his relatives and friends, as well as to the Govern- 
ment. The letter addressed to him by Gen. Knox, Secretary 
of War, congratulating him on his safe and unexpected re- 
turn, attests the high estimation in which he was held by 
the Department at Washington. A short time after, he was 
appointed by General Washington, Colonel commandant of 
a new regiment of infantry, to consist of three battalions, 'in 
consideration,' as General Knox writes, 'of his long and 
valuable services.' This position he did not long hold, but 
in those piping times of peace, preferred, like Cincinnatus, 
to retire to his own country home. But he was not long 
permitted to remain inactive. The Government having re- 
ceived alarming accounts of the encroachments of the Brit- 
ish on our northern frontier, whereby the people on the 
border were greatly excited and a collision between the two 
countries was to be apprehended, entrusted Colonel Dough- 
ty with the delicate and confidential mission of ascertaining 
the truth of these reports. The story of the alleged en- 
croachments was found to be false or exaggerated and the 
reports were pronounced frivolous and unfounded. 
Together with Washington, Schuyler, Knox and other of- 
358 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

ficers of the army of the Revolution, Colonel Doughty was 
one of the founders of the honorable Society of the Cin- 
cinnati. * * * The remaining portion of his life was 
spent in agricultural pursuits, in the cultivation of literature, 
and in the exercise of a generous and elegant hospitality. 
* * * The property of General Doughty consisted of 
about four hundred acres of land lying on each side of the 
Basking Ridge road, beginning at Morristown and extend- 
ing nearly a mile to the Southwest." 

On the eighteenth day of April, in the year 1780, 
two distinguished foreigners arrived in Morristown; 
they were the French Minister, Chevalier de la Lu- 
zerne, and Don Juan de Miralles, a Spanish gentleman 
the latter of whom was a representative of the Spanish 
Court before the American Congress. A review of four 
of the more presentable battalions of the patriot army, 
in honor of these foreign diplomats, having been de- 
cided upon by the commander-in-chief, Baron Steu- 
ben, the thorough disciplinarian of the army, was in- 
structed to make the necessary preparations for the 
event. This review, or parade, which occurred on the 
twenty-fourth of April, took place on the grand pa- 
rade, on the Jockey Hollow road. The large platform 
erected in the field as a reviewing stand, was filled' with 
ladies and gentlemen of distinction, from various por- 
tions of the States, among whom were Governor Liv- 
ingston and Mrs. Livingston, of New Jersey, and of- 
ficers of the American army encamped in Morristown 
and vicinity. The evolutions performed by the four 
carefully selected "crack" battalions were of a char- 
acter to afford satisfaction to the commander-in-chief; 

359 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

and received, also, the expressed approbation of Chev- 
alier de la Luzerne, who occupied a special seat on the 
reviewing stand. Don Juan de Miralles, as will in due 
course be seen, was not present upon this interesting 
occasion. 

In the evening a ball was given by the chief officers 
of the American army, probably in the hall on the 
second floor of the "Continental House," at which 
Washington and Luzerne were present, as well, also, 
as not a few ladies and gentlemen of more or less dis- 
tinction. From the camp ground of Knox's artillery 
brigade on the Mendham road, a display of fireworks, 
including cannon firing, sky rockets, and other curious 
pyrotechnics, was given for the entertainment of those 
who, for several reasons, did not attend the "grand 
ball." As the ballroom was lighted by means of tal- 
low candles, requiring frequent "snuffings," numerous 
non-attendants doubtless enjoyed a larger measure of 
illumination than those who, to the music of the times, 
"tripped the light fantastic toe." 

While the four battalions of the patriot army were 
performing their military maneuvers on the parade 
ground, and while other "crack" battalions, owing to 
lack of shoes and stockings and presentable clothing, 
were unable to participate in "mock war" for the grati- 
fication of distinguished visitors, Don Juan de Miralles 
was tossing with death fever on his bed at Short Hills, 
whither, on the day after his arrival in Morristown, he 
had gone on a visit to friends. On the twenty-sixth or 
twenty-seventh of the month of April he succumbed 

360 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

(in Morristown, according to one account, at least) to 
the disease with which he had been stricken, and on 
the twenty-ninth was buried with the honors due to 
his official station at Morristown. 

The style in which he was buried is said to have sur- 
passed in magnificence that of any other burial ever 
occurring at the county seat of Morris. His coffin was 
covered on the outside with rich black velvet, and 
lined with fine cambric. For burial, he wore a scarlet 
suit, embroidered with gold lace, a gold-laced hat, a 
wig carefully cued, white silk stockings and diamond 
shoe and knee buckles. On his fingers appeared a 
profusion of diamond rings, and suspended from a 
superb gold watch were several seals richly set with 
diamonds. The honorary pallbearers were six field 
officers, and on the shoulders of four artillery officers 
in full uniform, the actual pallbearers, he was borne to 
the grave. The chief mourners were Washington and 
other officers of high rank, and several members of 
the American Congress. A procession extending over 
a mile, composed of army officers and representative 
Morristown citizens, followed the remains to the 
grave, while minute guns were fired by the artillery. 
A Spanish priest performed the last rites at the grave, 
employing the impressive form of the Roman Catholic 
church. To prevent the disturbing of the buried re- 
mains for "filthy lucre's" sake, a guard of soldiers was 
placed at the grave of the Spanish Minister in the 
Presbyterian church cemetery. 

Mention has not a few times been made of the 
361 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

"Continental House," a famous structure, the history 
of which is briefly as follows: During the encampment 
of the American army in and near Morristown in the 
year 1777, Moore Freeman, deputy quartermaster- 
general of New Jersey at the time, applied to the trus- 
tees of the Presbyterian church for leave to erect a 
storehouse for the Continental army on "the parson- 
age lot," as the lands belonging to the church were 
sometimes called. Consent being given, the building 
was erected. It stood on the present site of the na- 
tional bank, and next to a house which had been built 
by a "Mr. Huntington, deceased." This Mr. Hunt- 
ington may have been Simon Huntington, who died 
July 17, 1770, in the seventy-fourth year of his age. 
The Huntington house seems to have stood some- 
what to the southeast of the Continental House. 

The "Continental House," as its name partially in- 
dicates, was used for a few years after its erection as a 
storage place for army supplies of various kinds. To 
this storehouse Colonel Benoni Hathaway seems to 
have brought some of the "merchantable powder," 
manufactured at Ford's powder mill, on the WTiippa- 
nong River. In this building some of the officers and 
soldiers of Washington's army were quartered, a por- 
tion of the latter, no doubt, as guards, during the 
winters of 1777, 1779 and 1780. 

Here were brought several cannon captured by 
American troops in a British sloop, which was 
grounded in Elizabethtown Creek. The names of some 
of the Morris County soldiers who assisted in bringing 

362 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

these guns to the county seat are: Captain William 
Day, Ephraim Sayre, James Brookfield, Samuel Day, 
Ellis Cook, Caleb Horton (son of the first pastor of 
Madison) Joseph Bruen, Benjamin Harris and Ben- 
jamin Bonnell. During- Washington's second sojourn 
in Morristown, in the winter of 1779-80, the upper part 
of the Continental House was used for several assem- 
bly balls. It was not, however, used as a tavern until 
after the close of the seven years' struggle for inde- 
pendence. It was burned in the year 1846 when the 
palatial New Jersey Hotel, which it adjoined, was 
destroyed by fire. 

A very pretty incident is related as having occurred / 
in the spring of the year 1780, at the Dr. Jabez Camp- 
field residence, situated on what is now Morris street, 
a picture of which appears in this volume. This house 
was the quarters of the surgeon-general of the Ameri- 
can army. Dr. John Cochran. Mrs. Cochran was the 
only sister of General Philip Schuyler, whose daughter 
Elizabeth, a charming girl of twenty-two years of age, 
spent several months as a visitor at her aunt's in the 
early part of the year last mentioned. At fhe quar- 
ters of the surgeon-general, Colonel Alexander Ham- 
ilton, one of Washington's aides, and a resident at the 
Ford mansion, was a frequent visitor during Miss 
Schuyler's sojourn at the former place. It was said 
that the presence of Miss Schuyler at the Cochran 
home was the chief attraction to Colonel Hamilton, 
and it is popularly believed that the courtship which 
resulted in the subsequent marriage of this interesting 

363 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

couple had its beginning at the quarters of Dr. John 
Cochran. 

In the month of September, of the year 1848, r Lo_sgr 
ing, the entertaining writer of history, visited Morris- 
town. He was the guest over the one night he spent 
at the county seat of Morris, of the Hon. Gabriel H. 
Ford, son of Colonel Jacob Ford, Jr., at the Ford 
Mansion. In the account of his flying visit to Morris- 
town, as given in "Field Book of the American Revo- 
lution," he says: 

"I have said I spent an evening at Morristown with 
Judge Ford, the proprietor of the headquarters of 
Washington. I look back upon the conversation of 
that evening with much pleasure, for the venerable 
octogenarian entertained me until a late hour with 
many pleasing anecdotes illustrative of the social con- 
dition of the army, and of the private character of the 
commander-in-chief. 

"As an example of Washington's careful attention 
to small matters, and his sense of justice he mentioned 
the fact that, when he took up his residence with Ill's 
mother, he made an inventory of all articles which 
were appropriated to his use during the winter. When 
he withdrew in the spring, he inquired of Mrs. Ford 
whether everything had been returned to her. 'All 
but one silver tablespoon,' she answered. He took 
note of it, and not long afterward she received, from 
him a spoon hearing his initials — 'G. W.' That spoon 
is preserved as a precious relic in the family. * * * 
Mr. Ford, then a lad, was a favorite with Hamilton, 

364 



I 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

and, by permission of the chief, the colonel would give 
him the countersign, so as to allow him to play at the 
village after the sentinels were posted for the night. 
On one occasion he was returning home about nine 
o'clock in the evening, and had passed the sentinel, 
when he recognized the voice of Hamilton in a reply 
to the soldier's demand of 'Who comes there?' He 
stepped aside, and waited for the colonel to accompany 
him to the house. Hamilton came up to the point of 
the presented bayonet of the sentinel to give the coun- 
tersign, but he had quite forgotten it. 'He had spent 
the evening' said Judge Ford, who related the anec- 
dote to me, 'with Miss Schuyler, and thoughts of her 
undoubtedly expelled the countersign from his head.' 
The soldier lover was embarrassed, and the sentinel, 
who knew him well, was stern in the performance of 
his duty. Hamilton pressed his hand upon his fore- 
head, and tried hard to summon the cabalistic words 
from their hiding place, but, like the faithful sentinel, 
they were immovable. Just then he recognized young 
Ford in the gloom. 'Ay, Master Ford, is that you?' 
he said in an undertone; and stepping aside, he called 
the lad to him, drew his ear to his mouth, and whis- 
pered, 'Give me the countersign.' He did so, and Ham- 
ilton stepping in front of the soldier, delivered it. The 
sentinel, seeing the movement, and believing that his 
superior was testing his fidelity, kept his bayonet un- 
moved. 'I have given you the countersign; why do 
you not shoulder your musket?' asked Hamilton. 'Will 
that do, colonel?' asked the soldier in reply. 'It will do. 

365 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

for this time,' said Hamilton; 'let me pass.' The sol- 
dier reluctantly obeyed the illegal command, and 
Hamilton and his young companion reached head- 
quarters without further difficulty. Colonel Hamilton 
afterward married Miss Schuyler." 

From "Publications of the Pennsylvania Society of 
the Colonial Dames of America, No. i, Edited by the 
Committee on Research," the following valuable ex- 
tract is given: 

"(Captain John Steele, son of Captain William and Rachel 
Carr Steele, was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 
the year 1761. At the age of seventeen he ran away from 
college to enter the army, and was soon made captain of a 
company of veterans from Cumberland Valley. He was nine- 
teen years old when the following letter was written. 
Wounded at Brandywine, he followed Washington through 
his campaigns until the surrender of Cornwallis, when Cap- 
tain Steele was officer of the day. Immediately after the war 
he married Abigail Bailey, of Lancaster County. He fre- 
quently represented his district in the Senate and House of 
Representatives of Pennsylvania. In 1809 he was appointed 
Collector of the Port of Philadelphia, which office he held 
until shortly before his death in 1827. He was one of the 
original members of the Cincinnati. He is buried in the old 
Pine Street Presbyterian churchyard, Philadelphia.)" 

"Dear Will: I have omitted several opportunities of writ- 
ing, with a daily expectation of seeing you and my brother 
Jake, which I now cease to hope for, as we have taken the 
field for several days in consequence of a sudden and unex- 
pected excursion of the enemy, from Staten Island and Jer- 
sey, who have, (as usual) committed the most cruel and 
wanton depredations by burning and destroying the houses 
and property of many peaceable and defenceless inhabitants; 

366 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

but the most striking instance of their barbarity was in tak- 
ing the life of a most amiable lady, wife of Parson Caldwell 
of Springfield, who left nine small children, the youngest 
eight months old which sat in its Mamma's lap a witness to 
the cruel murder, though insensible of its loss, nor did their 
barbarity end there, for after several skirmishes (in which it 
is thought we killed at least 150 and a proportionate num- 
ber wounded, together with several officers, one of which 
was General Stirling) they retired to Elizabeth Town Point, 
where they remained fortifying and possessing themselves of 
parts of the town; and 'tis said that two nights ago they 
made an indiscriminate sacrifice of all the females in the 
place:— a cruel slaughter indeed! Yesterday a Captain from 
the British army deserted to us, the cause to me unknown, 
but he is beyond doubt a damned rascal, but it all conspires 
to make glorious the once dreaded (though now ignomi- 
nious) arms of Britain. 

"I am at present enjoying myself incomparably well in the 
family of Mrs. Washington, whose guard I have had the 
honour to command, since the absence of the General and 
the rest of the family, which is now six or seven days. I 
am happy in the importance of my charge as well as in the 
presence of the most amiable woman upon earth, whose 
character should I attempt to describe I could not do justice 
to, but will only say I think it unexceptionable; the first 
and second nights after I came it was expected that a body of 
the enemy's horse would pay us a visit, but I was well pre- 
pared to receive them, for I had not only a good detach- 
ment of well disciplined troops under my command, but four 
members of Congress who came volunteers with their mus- 
quets, bayonets and ammunition. I assure you they have 
disposed of a greater share of Spirits than you have ever 
seen in that body or perhaps ever will see as long as they 
exist. I leave you to judge whether there is not considera- 
ble mint due their commander. I only wish I had a company 
of them to command for a campaign! and if you would not 

367 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

see an alteration in the constitution of our army against the 
next, I would suffer to lose my ears and never command a 
Congressman again. The rations they have consumed con- 
siderably overbalance all their service done as volunteers, 
for they have dined with us every day almost, and drank as 
much wine as they would earn in six months. Make my 
best love to my dear sister Betsey, parents, brothers and 
sisters, as well as to all my good neighbors; but in a most 
particular manner to somebody I can't write to for fear of 
miscarriage. 

"I am your affectionate Brother, 

JACK STEELE, 

"Headquarters, Morristown, June 14th, '80." 

Washington, with the greater portion of the patriot 
army, left Morristown in the early part of the month of 
June, in the year 1780. By the twenty-first of the 
month he was on his way toward West Point, on the 
Hudson. Two brigades of the army, however, in com- 
mand of General Greene, were left in the vicinity of 
Springfield, about ten miles southeast of the county 
seat of Morris. Landing at Elizabethtown Point on 
the night of June 5, with 5,000 men, including the 
famous Coldstream Guards, Lieutenant-General 
Knyphausen, the British commander, made an at- 
tempt on the following day to reach Morristown. At 
Connecticut Farms he was met by an American force 
in command of General Maxwell, and Colonel Day- 
ton. The patriot army was, however, pushed back 
toward Springfield, where, on the twenty-third of June, 
a battle was fought, resulting in the hasty retreat of 
the British force. Among the participants in the ac- 

368 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

tions at Connecticut Farms and Springfield was Lien- 
tenant-Colonel Benoni Hathaway, of Morristown. At 
the former place, Colonel Hathaway received a severe 
wound in the neck, from a British sentinel, whose re- 
peated challenge he deliberately failed to answer. At 
the battle of Springfield, in which Colonel Hathaway 
exhibited great bravery, there occurred a disagreement 
between him and General Heard, an efficient officer, 
whom Hathaway accused of unnecessarily leaving the 
field with his command. On his return to Morristown 
Colonel Hathaway preferred charges against his 
superior officer, his communication to Governor Liv- 
ingston being as follows: 

Morristown, 15 July, 1780. 

"To his Exelency the Governor. I send you in Closed 
Severel charges which I Charg B D Haird with while he 
commanded the Militare Sum Time in jun Last at Elizabeth 
Town farms which I pray His Exilency would Call a Court 
of inquiry on these Charges if his Exilency thinkes it worth 
notising from your Hum Ser Benonoi Hathaway Lut Coll." 
To exilency the Governor. 

"This is the Charges that I bring against General Haird 
While he Commanded the Milita at Elizabethtown farms 
sum Time in June last 1780. 

"1 — Charg is for leaving his post and Marching the Trups 
of their post without order and Leaving that Pass without 
aney gard between the Enemy and our armey without giv- 
ing aney notis that pass was open Between three and fore 
Ours. 

"2 — Charg is Retreating in Disorder Before the Enemy 
without ordering aney Rear gard or flanks out leading of 
the Retreat Him Self. 

369 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

"3 — Charg is for marching the Trups of from advantages 
peace of ground wheare we mit Noyed them much and Lick- 
ley prevented thear gaining the Bridg at Fox Hall had not 
the Trups Bin ordered of which prevented our giving our 
armey aney assistence in a Time of great Destris. 

"4 — Charg is for marching the Trups of a Bout one mile 
from aney part of the Enemy and taken them upon an Hy 
mountan and kept them thear till the Enemy had gained 
Springfeald Bridge. 

"List of Evidence 

Coll Van Cortland 

Wm Skank the Brigad Major 

Capt Benjman Cartur 

Capt Nathaniel Horton 

Adjt Kiten King 

Major Samuel Hays 

Leutnant Backover." 

Morristown was of too great importance, strategic- 
ally, to be entirely abandoned by the American forces, 
hence, on his departure in the early part of June, in the 
year 1780, Washington had left there about 2,000 
Pennsylvania troops, which, with the local militia, 
were considered adequate to the protection of the 
county seat of Morris. These Pennsylvania troops 
were at the time encamped on the grounds at the 
southeast corner of the Jockey Hollow and Mendham 
roads, the position formerly occupied by Hand's bri- 
gade. Between these troops and their officers there 
was a difference of opinion concerning the term of ser- 
vice for which they had enlisted; the rank and file con- 
tending that it was for three years only, while the 
latter were equally as earnest in their contention that 

370 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

it was for the war, regardless of how long it might con- 
tinue. 

If this had been the only cause of dissatisfaction on 
the part of the troops encamped on the Jockey Hollow 
road, the trouble of which we are about to speak might 
not have ocurred; but these soldiers had received no 
pay for twelve months and they were also without 
necessary food and clothing. 

"Though the Pennsylvania troops (we now quote from 
Thatcher in his Military Journal, written while the Revolu- 
tion was in progress) have been subjected to all the dis- 
couragements and difficulties felt by the rest of the army, 
some particular circumstances peculiar to themselves have 
contributed to produce the revolt. When the soldiers first 
enlisted, the recruiting officers were provided with enlisting 
rolls for the term of three years, or during the continuance 
of the war, and as the officers indulged the opinion that the 
war would not continue more than three years, they were 
perhaps indifferent in which column the soldier's name was 
inserted, leaving it liable to an ambiguity of construction. It 
is clear, however, that a part, enlisted for three years, and 
others for the more indefinite term 'during the war.' The 
soldiers now contend that they enlisted for three years at 
furthest, and were to have been discharged sooner, in case 
the war terminated before the expiration of this term. The 
war being protracted beyond the time expected, and the 
officers knowing the value of soldiers who have been trained 
by three years' service, are accused of putting a different 
construction on the original agreement, and claiming their 
services during the war. The soldiers, even those who act- 
ually listed for the war, having received very small bounties, 
complain of imposition and deception, and their case is ex- 
tremely aggravated by the fact, that three half Joes have now 

37i 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

been offered as a bounty to others, who will enlist for the 
remainder of the war, when these veteran soldiers have 
served three years for a mere shadow of compensation ! It 
was scarcely necessary to add to their trying circumstances, 
a total want of pay for twelve months, and a state of naked- 
ness and famine, to excite in a soldier the spirit of insurrec- 
tion. The officers themselves, also feeling aggrieved, and 
in a destitution, relaxed in their system of camp discipline, 
and the soldiers occasionally overheard their murmurs and 
complaints." 

Continued brooding through the autumn of the year 
1780, over the situation, resulted in the decision to re- 
volt. In accordance, therefore, with preconceived 
plans, the entire force of Pennsylvania troops, with the 
exception of portions of three regiments, marched 
under arms to the magazine (or storehouse) where 
they supplied themselves with provisions and ammu- 
nition. This was on the first day of January, in the 
year 1781. They seized six field pieces, and from the 
stables of General Wayne took the required comple- 
ment of horses to move them. 

By some writers of local history it is stated that the 
magazine from: which these revolters procured their 
supplies was the one located on the south side of the 
Morristown Green, known as the "Continental 
House," subsequently transformed into a tavern and 
kept by one O'Hara. The more reasonable theory, 
however, as the present writer conceives (and a theory, 
indeed, which has substantial support in extant dcou- 
mentary evidence), is that from the magazine estab- 
lished by General Wayne, after his arrival in Morris- 

372 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

town late in the year i78o,just to the east of the Wick 
house, the revolters procured provisions and ammuni- 
tion. From the "Continental House," near the Mor- 
ristown Green, the mutineers are by some said to have 
procured the field pieces, as this magazine was the re- 
pository of cannon while in use as a storehouse of gov- 
ernment supplies, but it is far more likely that the field 
pieces were found nearer camp. Indeed, it is practic- 
ally certain that they were taken from the summit of 
Fort Hill, to the rear of the camp ground, where can- 
non had previously been planted for defense against 
attack by the enemy. The mutineers are said to have 
been in command of a sergeant-major, by them ap- 
pointed, whom they called "major-general." 

Of the fragments of the brigade which had not at 
first joined in the revolt, some of the line officers took 
command, and with them attempted to restore order. 
There is a local tradition to the effect that the revolt- 
ers, in their resistance to this attempt, fired and killed 
Captain Adam Bettin, of the Tenth Pennsylvania 
Regiment, and wounded several other officers. It is 
said that on either side several were killed. Of the 
wounding and killing of several of the officers and sol- 
diers there is little doubt; but the popular theory con- 
cerning the manner of Bettin's death should in view of 
the facts in the case, be abandoned. The facts, as ex- 
tant records indicate, are as follows: Some of the muti- 
neers were in pursuit of an officer who had attempted 
to use force in quelling the mutiny. As the pursuers 
turned a corner of one of the camp streets they sud- 

373 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

denly encountered Captain Bettin. In their excited 
state of mind, mistaking Bettin for the officer they 
were pursuing, the mutineers fired, and killed him on 
the spot; his killing was, therefore, surely accidental. 

The threat of the mutineers to bayonet their oppos- 
ers if they did not instantly join in the revolt produced 
the desired effect, and the rank and file of the entire 
brigade were soon involved in the mutiny, which is 
now one of the interesting incidents of local history. 

General Anthony Wayne, who was in command of 
the Pennsylvania troops in Morristown at the period 
under consideration, was quartered at the residence of 
Peter Kemble, on the Basking Ridge road, about a 
mile southeast from camp. Hearing, on the morning 
of January first, of the mutiny of his troops, Wayne 
mounted his horse, and, in company with some of his 
staff officers, sped westward toward the camp, in the 
hope of being able to restore order. In a field on the 
opposite side of the road from camp where some of the 
mutineers were gathered, Wayne addressed his sol- 
diers, endeavoring to persuade them to return to duty. 
After listening for some time to their beloved com- 
mander, the soldiers became restless; and one of their 
number discharged his musket over Wayne's head. 
Wayne, supposing the musket had been discharged at 
him, immediately threw back his outer clothing, thus 
baring his breast, and exclaimed: "Shoot me, if you 
will!" But no further shots being fired the brave offi- 
cer was convinced that there was no murderous intent 
on the part of his troops. After further vain attempts 

374 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

to restore order General Wayne returned to his quar- 
ters at Peter Kemble's. 

Toward evening, with the sergeant-major at their 
head, the mutineers marched down the Fort Hill road 
on their way, in accordance with mutual resolution, 
toward Philadelphia. As the mutineers came in sight, 
Wayne went out from his quarters to ascertain the oc- 
casion of the strange spectacle which greeted his eyes. 
He intercepted the resolute mutineers at a point a little 
to the southeast of the crossing of the Basking Ridge 
road by the road from Fort Hill. The locality is indi- 
cated by a picture accompanying the present volume. 
Upon ascertaining the intent of his troops, he endeav- 
ored, first by expostulation, and then by threats, to 
dissuade them from their purpose. 

Cocking his pistol and pointing it toward some of 
the leaders of the revolt, Wayne threatened to shoot 
them if they did not, with the body of troops, return at 
once to their camp on Kemble Hill, and then and there 
was enacted a scene which might well engage the 
artist's skill in depicting upon canvas what occurred. 
Wayne's threat had scarcely escaped his lips when 
scores of bayonets were at his breast. 

"General," sternly spoke one of the revolters, "we respect 
and love you; often have you led us into battle, but we ar« 
no longer under your command ; we warn you to be on youf 
guard ; if you fire your pistol or attempt to enforce your com- 
mands, we shall put you instantly to death." 

Suddenly impressed, as the writer conceives, with 
375 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

the justness of the cause which could impel men to 
open revolt against their superior officer, Wayne re- 
solved to join his brave soldiers in their endeavor to 
secure an adjustment of the grievances they had so 
long and so patiently borne for freedom's sake. The 
brigade quartermaster was at once ordered by General 
Wayne to furnish the revolters with a supply of pro- 
visions. No finer evidence of the popularity of Wayne 
could be adduced than the fact that even after the oc- 
currence just mentioned, the revolters, acting upon 
the advice of their beloved general, concluded to 
march to Princeton by way of the Basking Ridge road. 
Led by their former commander, General Wayne, ac- 
companied by other officers, the Pennsylvania troops 
reached Princeton, where they laid their grievances 
before a committee of Congress, appointed for the pur- 
pose. Ever will it stand to the credit of the intelligent 
manhood of these troops that the justice of their cause 
was recognized, and their demands satisfied. 

Sir Henry Clinton, on being informed of the mutiny 
of the Pennsylvania troops, sent a sergeant of the Brit- 
ish army, and a Jersey Tory by the name of Ogden, to 
offer them the protection of the British Government; 
holding out flattering inducements by way of persuad- 
ing them to this desertion of the cause of freedom. 
The offer was not only indignantly spurned, but the 
two British emissaries were delivered over to General 
Wayne, who had them tried as spies. They were con- 
victed, and promptly executed. 



376 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"See ! comrades," said one of the leaders of the mutineers, 
"he takes us for traitors. Let us show him that the American 
army can furnish but one Arnold, and that America has no 
truer friends than we." 

As a well deserved tribute to the patriotism and 
efficiency of the Pennsylvania troops, an account of 
whose mutiny has been given, the following extracts 
from two letters of General Wayne, written, one of 
them, at least, to Washington, but a few weeks pre- 
viously, are here appended: 

"I forgot to mention to your excellency, that the ist and 
2nd Brigade (Pennsylvania) marched at a moment's warning, 
leaving our tents standing, guards and detachments out, 
pushed with rapidity to secure this pass, where it would be in 
our power to dispute the ground inch by inch, or to proceed 
to West Point as occasion might require, which was effected in 
as little time as ever so long a march was performed in. * 

* * The ist Pennsylvania Brigade moved immediately, 
and on the arrival of the 2d express I was speedily followed by 
our gallant friend, Gen'l Irvine, with the 2nd Brigade. Our 
march of sixteen miles was performed in four hours, during 
a dark night, without a single halt, or man left behind. When 
our approach was announced to the General, he thought it 
fabulous, but when assured of his ioth Legion being near him, 
he expressed great satisfaction and pleasure." 

General Anthony Wayne, or "Mad Anthony," as he 
had already come to be known, is a unique figure in 
the annals of the Revolution. His father, or grand- 
father, it is not clear which, was a native of the Emer- 
ald Isle. Chester County, Pa., was the birthplace of 
Anthony. The year of his birth was 1745 or 1746; 

377 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

hence at the time of the mutiny among his troops, he 
was but about thirty-six years of age. At the outbreak 
of the Revolution he organized in his native State a 
volunteer corps. In the year 1776 Congress appointed 
him to the command of a regiment. He participated 
in the operations in Canada. At Ticonderoga he was in 
command of the patriot army. Later he was commis- 
sioned a brigadier-general by Congress. At German- 
town, Wayne commanded a division of Washington's 
army; and at the battle of Monmouth he greatly dis- 
tinguished himself. By one of the most brilliant as- 
saults of history he recaptured Stony Point from the 
British, receiving a wound during the assault. A vote 
of thanks and a gold medal were bestowed upon 
Wayne for his famous act at Stony Point. In the cam- 
paign resulting in the surrender of the British at York- 
town he was again wounded. 

General Wayne was with the patriot army during its 
first encampment at Morristown and vicinity in the 
winter of the year 1777. He was quartered in the 
house of Deacon Ephraim Sayre, at Bottle Hill, now 
Madison. His body-guard were quartered in the 
kitchen in the rear of the main house. General Wayne 
occupied a room, known as "the front room," situated 
on the northerly end of the Sayre house. He was ac- 
companied by a small mulatto servant, whose martial 
spirit was stimulated by the carriage of a wooden 
sword, with edges finely sharpened. Wayne did not 
accompany the American army to Morristown in the 
winter of the year 1779-80. On the way from his post 

378 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

to Pennsylvania late in the year 1779, however, he 
passed through Morristown. He may have rejoined 
the patriot army at Nyack, in the summer of the year 

1780, and late in the same year he came to Morris- 
town, and established his quarters at the Kemble 
house on the Basking- Ridge road. Of his connection 
with the mutiny of his troops we have already spoken 
at sufficient length for present purposes. 

Consideration for fondly cherished local tradition, 
on the part of the present writer, is responsible for the 
version of the "Tempe" Wicke episode previously 
given in these pages. There is, however, another ver- 
sion which seems to be more in accord with reason, 
and which is not without a good basis in extant docu- 
mentary evidence; this version of the episode is as fol- 
lows: During the mutiny of the Pennsylvania troops 
down the Jockey Hollow road, which, as our readers 
have seen, ocurred on the opening day of the year 

1 781, the mutineers had in some way found access to a 
liberal supply of alcoholic drinks; whether rum or 
applejack, the writer is unable to say. Judging from 
the evidence furnished by fragmentary records of the 
mutiny, there was, to employ a modern phrase, "a hot 
time," in the vicinity of the Wicke house, on the first 
day of January, in the year 1781. The intoxication, 
and consequent rioting, were continued for several 
days after the departure of the main body of General 
Wayne's troops for Princeton, by detachments of sol- 
diers left behind to guard the camp equipage and offi- 
cers' baggage. Doubtless there were, also, not a few 

379 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

stragglers, who had, without orders, remained in the 
vicinity of their former encampment. 

Mrs. Wicke, who was in poor health at the time of 
the mutiny of Wayne's troops, was greatly annoyed 
by the noises attending the unbridled carousals of the 
drunken soldiers. "For on January ist, 1781, there 
came the mutiny in General Wayne's command so 
near his (Mr. Wicke's) home that the sounds of the 
shots that killed Captain Bettin must have reached 
the ears of its inmates;" such is the statement to be 
found in No. ill, of "A Branch of the Woodruff 
Stock," by our talented townsman, Francis E. Wood- 
ruff. Mr. Wicke — again we quote from the above 
named authority — "was Captain of a company of Mor- 
ris County cavalry that did good service in the war 
and engaged in at least one sharp fight, though fre- 
quently detailed as guard for Governor Livingston" — 
was absent from home, and Mrs. Wicke and her 
daughter, "Tempe," seem to have been the only adult 
occupants of the house. During the day, Mrs. Wicke 
had an ill turn, induced, perhaps, by the excitement 
incident to the unusual occurrences about the place. 
The immediate attendance of a physician became 
necessary. Upon "Tempe" Wicke, therefore, de- 
volved the duty of going for Dr. William Leddell, the 
family physician, who lived about a mile to the west- 
ward. As a means of insuring more completely the 
safety of her mother during her absence, "Tempe" 
carried her into the cellar. Saddling and bridling and 
mounting her favorite horse, the devoted daughter 

380 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

sped away down the hill toward Dr. Leddell's. Her 
errand accomplished, she again mounted her horse for 
a hasty return home. In front of the Leddell house 
she encountered two or three intoxicated soldiers — 
some of the mutineers, perhaps, but more likely some 
of the stragglers alluded to, whose too free use of in- 
toxicants (procured, possibly, from! the officers' bag- 
gage) had made them reckless. Rudely seizing the 
horse's bridle, they commanded "Tempe" to dismount, 
and allow them to take the animal. Mr. Francis E. 
Woodruff says, in one of his carefully compiled pam- 
phlets. "It was nearly in front of Dr. Leddell's that she 
('Tempe' Wicke) refused to give up her pet (saddle 
horse) to our disorderly soldiers and galloped away 
from them." On reaching home "Tempe" hastily dis- 
mounted from her foaming horse, led him through the 
kitchen and front room into the spare bed cham- 
ber, secured him and closed the wooden window shut- 
ter. Here he was kept three of four days ; by the end 
of which time the mutineers had entirely disappeared 
from the neighborhood. 

In a communication to the writer, written while the 
series of articles on "History of Moristown, N. J. The 
Story of its First Century," were running in the Sat- 
urday issues of The Newark Evening News, a well in- 
formed local historian, said: "I read your horse story 
the same evening. It is very well told. Would advise 
your shading two or three points, (i) Some report 
*3 days,' not '3 weeks.' One possible, the other incred- 
ible; mutineers did not hang about so long. (2) Not 

381 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

1780, but 1 78 1. Discipline good in 1780, except for 
fowls. Farmers' round robin, end of 1780, made much 
complaint of fowls, fence rails, and bad manners, none 
about horses. * * * No order to draft horses. 
(Drafting of horses always orderly and serious busi- 
ness, anyhow). (3) If mutineer fired, he certainly 
fired wild to scare girl. They were not murderous." 

In reply to the query — "Did you ever hear of a ring 
in the room where the horse ("Tempe" Wicke's) was 
kept, to which the horse was tied?" recently submitted 
in writing to Miss Mary E. Leddell, by the writer, she 
says: "I have heard of a hole in a timber in which a 
ring-bolt was inserted for the tie-strap." Miss Leddell 
was the former owner and is the present occupant of 
the historic Dr. William Leddell place. Of Dr. Led- 
dell she is a lineal descendant. 

In view of the frequent references in these pag£s to 
the " Wicke house" and the "Dr. Leddell house," it will 
doubtless be interesting to readers to learn something 
of their history, in addition to what has already been 
said in these pages concerning them. "The Wicke Tract 
was purchased in 1746. Our first record of Henry 
Wicke as of Morris County, was in 1748. We suppose 
the house was built in 1747" — such was the reply of 
Miss Mary E. Leddell, to the query. "Do you know 
when, or by whom, the Wicke house was built?" sub- 
mitted to her by the writer in the month of July, of the 
present year. To the query, "Did you ever hear where 
the 'magazine' of General Wayne was situated; how 
far to the east of the Wicke house?" she replied: "In 

38-' 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

the orchard half-way between the house and the Jock- 
ey Hollow road." While the following query and re- 
ply are not strictly Apropos, their importance will, it 
is thought, justify their introduction here. "Did you 
ever hear whether the oak tree now standing at the 
head of Captain Bettin's grave was there when he was 
buried?" Reply: "I have never heard that it was stand- 
ing. I suppose it was, as oaks are of slow growth, and 
that is a large tree." 

It may have been in the latter part of the month of 
June, of the present year, that a letter of inquiry con- 
cerning the appearance and history of the Dr. William 
Leddell house, was mailed to Miss Leddell; her reply 
is of such great interest to lovers of local annals, that 
it should not be permitted to fall into "the swallow- 
ing gulf of dark forgetfulness and deep oblivion." It 
is, therefore, given verbatim: 

"Basking Ridge, 
Somerset County, New Jersey, 

July 5th, 1905. 
"Rev. Andrew M. Sherman, 
Morristown, N. J. 
Dear Sir: — "My knowledge of the Revolutionary home of 
Dr. Wm. Leddell is limited. I never heard it accurately de- 
scribed, but know that it was a frame building which covered 
a good deal of ground. The kitchen and sitting room were 
at the western end of the dwelling; kitchen at the back with 
its outer door opening near the well. Beneath these rooms a 
basement room was used as a store, in which a thriving busi- 
ness was conducted by furnishing various articles to the sol- 
diers. 

383 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

"Tradition states that the grounds about Dr. Leddell's 
dwelling were the most tastefully arranged and neatly kept 
premises in the vicinity. The terraces which Dr. Leddell had 
constructed, and on which he located his botanical and kitchen 
gardens, may be seen today. 

"Tradition states that the soldiers located themselves on the 
mountain east of the Leddell home one afternoon of the last 
week of November, 1779. 

"Dr. Leddell was not at home when they arrived and lighted 
their first line of camp fires. When the Doctor returned, 
he saw that these fires were too near his buildings for safety, 
and sent his body servant — one of his slaves, named 'Sam' — 
to bid the officers of the company to come to his house. 
When they came, the Doctor requested them to have the 
camp-fires extinguished, and other fires lighted, at a safe 
distance from the buildings. The officers complied with this 
request and the buildings saved from harm. 

"In a memorandum book of Doctor Leddell's we find a note 
telling of a journey, made July, 1781, when he visited Colonel 
Pickering, who was Quartermaster and located at New Wind- 
sor, on the Hudson. The colonel appointed a committee to 
adjudge the damage wrought by the army while camping on 
the Leddell and Wick lands. As both estates were stripped 
of wood and timber, the loss was heavy. We have no record 
of this government debt being paid, and it is a pleasure to the 
members of the present generation to know that their ances- 
tors had the privilege and ability to make admirable sacrifice 
on the altar of Liberty. 

Yours respectfully, 

(Miss) MARY E. LEDDELL." 

Replying to the inquiry as to the date of the burn- 
ing of the dwelling of Dr. William Leddell of the Rev- 
olutionary period, Miss Leddell said: 

384 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"After making inquiry I find no date of the time when Dr. 
LeddelFs dwelling was burned, but my knowledge of some 
circumstances leads me to think it was burned prior to 1818. 
The fire was caused by flames from the oven-flue. The Dutch 
oven in the kitchen was being heated, preparatory to baking. 
The soot in the Hue taking fire, blazed above the chimney top, 
and sparks falling on the dry roof caused it to ignite." 

Reference has been made to the encampment, in 
the late fall of the year 1779, of a portion of Washing- 
ton's army on grounds to the east of the Dr. Leddell 
house. Having been informed that John W. Melick, 
of Morristown, had, when a boy, seen some of the 
traces of the camping grounds alluded to by Dr. Led- 
dell in his memorandum book, the writer procured 
from the former the following written statement: 

"In the summer of the year 1877, the First Presbyterian 
Church Sunday School, of Mendham, held a picnic in the 
woods on the Leddell farm. The grounds were reached by 
leaving the main road and taking a by-road that passed 
between the saw mill and the stone house. We then skirted 
the lake, and, passing into the woods at the right, reached 
the grove which had been cleared of underbrush. This grove 
was situated about half a mile northeast of the stone house 
(Dr. Leddell's), and about midway between the house and 
an open field, which was said to have been one of the parade 
grounds of the Revolutionary soldiers (one of the Pennsyl- 
vania brigades). After we had eaten our dinners, my father 
climbed the hill at the south which at that time was heavily 
wooded, and, at a distance of about one-fourth of a mile from 
the picnic grounds, discovered some of the stone fire-places, 
which we concluded had been used by soldiers in the Revo- 
lution. After removing the leaves and some of the dirt, traces 

385 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

of the ashes could be seen. I was only 14 years of age that 
time, but it was a very interesting experience for us, and 
especially for the older members of the Sunday School, to see 
those reminders of our country's struggle for liberty. 
"Very respectfully yours, 

JOHN W. MELICK. 
"Morristown, N. J., 

October 2, 1905." 

"Sun of the moral world ! effulgent source 
Of man's best wisdom and his steadiest force, 
Soul searching Freedom ! here assume the stand 
And radiate hence to every distant land." 




386 




CHAPTER XIX 




F the mutiny of "Mad Anthony" 
Wayne's Pennsylvania troops down 
the Jockey Hollow road, a concise 
account of which has been given in 
a previous chapter, may be spoken 
of as an "ill wind," then there may 
very appropriately be quoted, at this 
point of our story the familiar and significant lines: 

"Except wind stands as it never stood, 
It is an ill wind turns none to good." 

In consequence of this mutiny, and that of the New 
Jersey troops encamped near Pompton, which oc- 
curred on the twenty-seventh day of the same month, 
and year, the American Congress so far awoke to the 
gravity of the situation and to the recognition of the 
justice of the claims of the patriot soldiers, as to move 
that national body to the prompt employment of meas- 
ures for the relief of the long-suffering American 
army. By means of taxation, and by other meas- 

387 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

ures adopted by the National Legislature, money was 
soon raised for the prosecution of the war for inde- 
pendence. The establishment of the Bank of North 
America, upon the recommendation of Robert Morris, 
the masterful financier of this critical period of our 
national history, proved an invaluable aid in conduct- 
ing the Revolution to a successful issue. 

The complete rout of the British troops under Tar- 
leton, and the capture of more than five hundred pris- 
oners, at the Cowpens, on the seventeenth day of Jan- 
uary, in the year 1781, by the American force, com- 
manded by Morgan; the virtual defeat of Cornwallis 
at Guilford Courthouse, on the fifteenth day of the 
following March, by the combined forces of Morgan 
and Greene; the retreat of the patriot forces under 
Greene from Hobkirk's Hill, on the twenty-fifth day 
of April of the same year, after a severe engagement; 
and the drawn battle of Eutaw Springs, on the eighth 
day of September, in the year 1781, in which Greene 
captured 500 prisoners, closed the campaign in the 
Carolinas. 

Passing over a few of the minor operations of the 
two armies, conducted mainly in Virginia, it may be 
said that in the month of August, in the year 1781, we 
find Cornwallis concentrating his forces at Yorktown, 
where he threw up strong fortifications. With a large 
land force Washington invested Yorktown, while the 
York and James rivers were effectively blockaded by 
a French fleet in command of Count de Grasse. A 
cannonade commenced by the American forces on Oc- 

388 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

tober 9, 1781, and continued until the nineteenth day 
of the same month, resulted in the unconditional sur- 
render of Cornwallis, with 7,000 soldiers, to Washing- 
ton. 

Among the participants in this last and decisive bat- 
tle of the Revolution, it should be said, was the Jersey 
Brigade, then in command of Colonel Elias Dayton. 
The three regiments composing the brigade of Jersey 
troops, having been employed in all the labor incident 
to the siege, were present at the surrender of Corn- 
wallis. 

The surrender of the British army at Yorktown was 
the death blow to British hopes in America. A pre- 
liminary treaty signed at Paris on November 30, 1782, 
was followed by a proclaimed cessation of hostilities 
on April 19, 1783. On September 3, the same year, a 
final and definite treaty of peace was signed at Paris, 
by the terms of which Great Britain acknowledged the 
independence of the United States. After a seven- 
years struggle the American people were politically 
free, and "The greatest glory of a free-born people, is 
to transmit that freedom to their children." 

Less than a decade ago, there were discovered in 
the State Library, at Trenton, some papers, so old and 
musty as to render the deciphering of them somewhat 
difficult. To J. Frank Lindsley, then editor of the 
Morris County Chronicle, belongs, in part, at least, 
the credit of this discovery; and in the newspaper 
edited by him, copies of the papers discovered were 
published. 

389 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

"A Copie of the Inventories of such Property as has been 
damaged or destroyed by the Continental Army & Militia in 
the County of Morris, together with the Appraisements thereof 
done agreeable to an Act of the General Assembly of the State 
of New Jersey passed at Trenton, December 20, 1781." Such 
is the heading of old and musty papers, a few extracts from 
which are here presented : 

"No. 20. 

Inventory of sundry Articles taken from Ellis 
Cook by the Continental Army, (Viz.) 

1780 1 Ox Chain £0 15 

Dec'r. 1 Narrow Ax 7 

3 Sheep, at 1 os 1 10 

20 Fowls, ad 15 

10 Bushels Potatoes, 2s. 6d 1 5 



ELLIS COOK. 
"No. 23. 

Inventory of sundry Articles taken from Uzal 
Kitchel by the Continental Army (Viz) 

1777 3 Hives Bees, 20s £3 o o 

Feb'r. 2 Hogs (12 months) 30s 3 o 

1 Sheep 10 

Keeping Cattle on hay 7 1-2 months 3 15 



10 15 

UZAL KITCHEL. 
"No. 28. 

Inventory of sundry Articles taken from Joshua 
Guren by soldiers of the Continental 
Army (Viz) 

1779 Sheep 20s. ; 1 Calf 5 months old 25s £2 5 

Decem'r 1 Great Coat (Blanketing) 15 

390 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

1 Linen Peticoat (new) 15 

2 Good Shifts (half worn) 10 

1780 2 Bushels Rye 4s o 8 

Aug. 2 Sheep 20s.; 2 Narrow Axes 5s 1 15 

6 Bushels Potatoes 2s 12 

£7 

JOSHUA GUREN. 
"No. 29. 

Inventory of sundry Articles taken from Phine- 
has Fairchild by the Continental Army 
(Viz) 
1777 1 Hive Bees 20s. ; 1 Beever Hat, new 

45s. ; £3 5 

Jan. 4 pr. woolen Stockings 5s. ; 1 pr. worsted 

Do. 7s 12 

1779 3 Sheep & six Lambs 90s.; 2 bus Wheat 

12s 5 2 

Dec'r 1 Bag & 19 Fowls 18s. id.; pewter 

quart & pint 1 5 

10 4 

PHINEHAS FAIRCHILD. 
"No. 30. 

Inventory of sundry Articles taken from Jo- 
seph Lindsley bv the Continental Army 
(Viz) 

1777 1 Vest Broad Cloath £1 5 

Jan. 1 pr. Striped Cotton Trowsers 10 

1 fine Shirt 15 

3 Linen Aprons 1 2 

1779 1 Woolen Cover lid 1 

Dec. 3 Hives Bees 20s 3 

3 Geese 2s 6 

1780 1 woolen Cover lid 1 

391 • 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Dec. 4 Sheep ios 2 

1782 6 Bushel Potatoes 2s. 6d 15 

June 1 Calf 3 (Months old) 1 2 



£13 

JOSEPH LINDSLEY. 
"No. 31. 

Inventory of sundry Articles taken from Eb- 
enezer Stiles by the Continental Army 
(Viz) 

1783 

Sept. 26 Pasture furnished a Brigade of 

Teams Appraised £1 10 

1780 2 1-2 days cutting wood 4s 10 

Feb. 4 2 Ox Chains 15s 1 10 

7 Fowls 7s. ; 1 pr pinchers 2s. 6d 6 6 

1 Shoemakers Hammer 1 6 

2 Axes 15s. ; 1 Hive Bees 20s 1 15 

Pasturing 6 Cattle 1 day 5 

Quartering at his house Lighthorsemen 20 

days 1 



7 9 
EBENEZER STILES. 
"No. 32. 

Inventory of sundry Articles taken from Jo- 
seph Beach (Viz) 
1777 

May 25 1 Horse £20 

1 Worsted Coat & Vest 2 

1 Flannel Vest 5 

1780 1 Linen Do 9 

March 1 Lindsey Peticoat 15 

1 pewter porringer 2 

1 Japan'd qt. Mug 4 

392 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

i Diaper Table Cloth 10 

i Window Curtain i- 

ioo Fowls 3 l 5 



28 12 6 

JOSEPH BEACH. 

"No. 34- 

Inventory of sundry Articles taken from James 
Miller by the Continental Army (Viz) 

1778 1 Cover lid £1 

Dec'r. 

1779 2 Hive Bees 2 

Deer. 

Jan. 1 pr. Small Steelyards 7 6 

1 Bridle ( good ) 6 

1782 1 Calf 18s.: 1 Cow Bell 7s 1 5 

June 2 Calves (3 months) 40s.; 1 Tuky 

(Turkey) 2s. 6d 2 2 6 

6 Sheep 60 ; 1 Pillow 7s. 6d 3 7 6 

10 Bushel Potatoes 2s 1 



JAMES MILLER. 
"No. 35- 

Daniel Freeman had a Horse impressed in the 
service of the United States & kept three 
Years £5 < 

DANIEL FREEMAN. 
"No. 38. 

Inventory of Articles taken from Joseph Peir- 
son Jun'r bv the Continental Army 
(Viz) 

1780 1 Calf £0 li 

Dec'r 1 Do ii 

393 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 



Oct. '83 I Heifer (3 y'r old) 
Nov. 1 Barrel Oder 



JOSEPH PIERSON JUN'R. 
"No. 39. 

Inventory of sundry Articles taken from John 
Day (Viz) 

1779 6 Bushels Wheat £1 16 

Dec'r 1 Bushel Corn 4 

1 Bag 4 



JOHN DAY. 

From the Morris County Chronicle, of the year 1899, the 
following extract is presented: 

"The old, musty papers * * * are records of more than 
a hundred years ago. Apart from their historic value, they 
are instructive as giving glimpses of the mode of life of those 
who preceded us by many generations in the march of life. 
They afford ideas of the values of articles used in every day 
life. The names of those who are now with us enjoying 
our respect and confidence, will be found here, and among 
them will be recognized some who are remembered with 
respect and veneration." 

Soon after the commencement of the Revolution, 
there removed to Morristown a man who subsequent- 
ly became prominent in county. State and national af- 
fairs, and who, in the struggle for freedom, rendered 
most excellent service. John Cleves Symmes was his 
name. So remarkable was the career of this man, that 
the following sketch, based upon data gathered from 

394 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

what are probably reliable sources of information, is 
presented: He was born in the town of Riverhead, 
Suffolk County, New York, on the twenty-first day of 
July, of the year 1742. In early life he engaged in 
school teaching and surveying. For his first wife he 

married Miss Tuttle, a daughter of Mr. and 

Mrs. Daniel Tuttle, of Southold, in the county and 
State above mentioned. About the year 1770, Mr. 
Symmes removed with his young bride to Sussex 
County, New Jersey. They seem to have settled in 
Flatbrook; and here, on the twenty-fifth day of July 
of the year 1775, a daughter was born to them, whom 
the parents named Anna. As previously stated, Mr. 
Symmes removed to Morristown soon after the com- 
mencement of the Revolution — it may have been in 
the spring of the year 1776. On his removal to the 
county seat of Morris he selected as his home what 
has since been known as "Solitude," situated on the 
left of the road now called Sussex Avenue, about a 
mile and a half north from the Morristown Green, as 
one goes toward Mt. Freedom. Whether the house 
occupied by Mr. Symmes was built prior to his remov- 
al to Morristown, or erected by him after his settle- 
ment here, the writer is unable at present to say. The 
situation of his residence was called "Solitude" partly, 
no doubt, because of its remoteness from the Morris- 
town village, but chiefly because of its thickly wooded 
environment. 

When the infant daughter, Anna Symmes, was 
about one year of age, her mother died — this was 

395 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

probably in the latter part of the month of July, of the 
year 1776; while the parents were living at "Solitude." 
In his "Washington in Morris County, New Jer- 
sey," the Rev. Dr. Joseph F. Tuttle, says, that in the 
first battle of Springfield, fought as our readers have 
seen, on the fourteenth day of December, of the year 
1776, "the celebrated John Cleves Symmes * * * 
participated, with a detachment of militia from Sus- 
sex County." In "Officers and Men of New Jersey 
in the Revolutionary War," by William S. Stryker, 
Adjutant-General, which is unquestioned authority, as 
far at least as it goes, may be seen the following rec- 
ord concerning Mr. Symmes: "Colonel, Third Battal- 
ion, Sussex, resigned May 23d, 1777, to accept ap- 
pointment as Justice of the Supreme Court of New 
Jersey." From this statement it may reasonab'y b^ 
inferred, that in the first battle of Springfield, Mr. 
Symmes was a colonel in command of the "detach- 
ment of militia from Sussex County." By another 
apparently reliable author the statement is made that 
"as colonel of a New Jersey regiment he participated 
in many important battles." It is said, also, in "Ohio 
Historical Collections," by Howe, that Mr. Symmes 
participated in the battle of Saratoga, which occurred 
on the seventh day of October, of the year 1777. But 
in view of the official statement that he resigned his 
colonelcy on the twenty-third day of May, of the same 
year as that above mentioned, to accept a civil ap- 
pointment, it is quite improbable that Colonel Symmes 
was a participant in the battle of Saratoga. There is 

396 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

however, a possibility that in the interval between his 
resignation from the militia service, and the assump- 
tion of his duties as a justice of the New Jersey Su- 
preme Court, he may have in some capacity taken part 
in the battle specified. 

It was while Mr. Symmes was a Justice of the Su- 
preme Court of New Jersey, that the trial of "Parson 
Caldwell's" murderer occurred; and the writer has 
seen the statement that during this famous trial, Jus- 
tice Symmes presided over the court. 

For his second wife, Mr. Symmes married a daugh- 
ter of Governor Livingston, of New Jersey; this may 
have been about the year 1778. The marriage cere- 
mony was probably performed at "Solitude;" and 
there are some glimmerings of evidence in favor of 
the spacious front hallway of this interesting house 
having been the place where he gave a practical exem- 
plification of his belief in the teaching of the eminent 
English philosopher, who says: Were a man not to 
marry a second time, it might be concluded that his 
first wife had given him a disgust to marriage; but by 
taking a second wife, he pays the highest compliment 
to the first, by showing that she made him so happy 
as a married man, that he wishes to be so a second 
time." Governor Livingston was probably present at 
the marriage of his daughter to Justice Symmes; and 
it is said he was afterward a frequent visitor at "Soli- 
tude." The capture of both Governor Livingston and 
Justice Symmes was devoutly wished by the British 
authorities and during a visit of the Governor to Mr. 

397 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Symmes, a party of Tories are said to have secreted 
themselves in a swamp near the house, intending in 
the night time to carry them away as prisoners into 
the enemies lines. For some reason, however, now 
unknown, the plot miscarried. 

When Anna Symmes was four years of age it was 
concluded to place her in the home of her grandpar- 
ents, Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle, at Southold, New York. 
To reach Southold, more than a hundred miles distant 
from Morristown, it was of course, necessary to pass 
through the enemy's lines. Disguising himself, there- 
fore, as a British officer, Mr. Symmes boldly set out 
on horseback for Southold. Anna sat on the saddle in 
front of her father. They reached the home of Mr. 
and Mrs. Tuttle, and little Anna was left there, Mr. 
Symmes returning to Morristown. 

Justice Symmes and his daughter did not meet 
again until the year 1783. Anna, who was then about 
eight years of age, was soon afterward placed in a 
young ladies' seminary. 

During the year 1785 Mr. Symmes served the State 
as a member of the Council, the members of this body 
then being elected annually. In the years 1785-86 he 
was a member of the Continental Congress. It was 
in the year 1787 that an ordinance was passed by Con- 
gress, making provision for the establishment of a 
territorial government northwest of the Ohio River. 
In anticipation of this action of Congress (in which an- 
ticipation Mr. Symmes, by reason of his service in that 
body the two previous years, doubtless shared) lands 

398 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

in that region were sold by the general government. 

An association called the "Ohio Company," pur- 
chased 5,000,000 acres of land lying between the Mus- 
kingum and Scioto rivers, fronting on the Ohio River. 
About this time, the exact date of which seems to be 
unascertainable, Mr. Symmes and a few others pur- 
chased 2,000,000 acres of land in the rich and beautiful 
region on the Ohio River, between the Great and Lit- 
tle Miami rivers. His purchase included the site of 
the present city of Cincinnati. Mr. Symmes' associates 
in this extensive purchase were chiefly composed of 
the officers of the New Jersey line who had served in 
the Revolution ; among whom were General Jonathan 
Dayton and Rev. Elias Boudinot, D. D. It could not 
have been long after his extensive land purchase in 
Ohio, that Mr. Symmes removed from New Jersey to 
the West; which was thereafter his home. On the 
twenty-third day of October, of the year 1787, he was 
appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ohio. He 
settled, with his family, at the North Bend of the Ohio 
River, and there he proposed to found the capital of 
the future State. This was frustrated by the choice 
of the site of Cincinnati for a blockhouse around whose 
protecting cannon emigrants to the wilderness pre- 
ferred to settle. There Fort Washington was after- 
ward built;" and in the year 1795 Captain William 
Henry Harrison was stationed in command of the gar- 
rison. Judge Symmes erected a blockhouse and a 
commodious dwelling at NorthBend. It was during 
the year 1795, that Anna Symmes, then about twenty 

399 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

years of age, once more became a member of the 
household. She was "a remarkably beautiful girl," 
and "traces of that beauty lingered in her face at the 
time of her death, when she was almost ninety years 
of age." 

At Lexington, Kentucky, in the home of Mrs. Pey- 
ton Short, Anna Symmes' older sister, Anna, is said 
to have first met Captain William Henry Harrison. 
An acquaintance was then and there begun which cul- 
minated into mutual and life-long attachment. After a 
brief courtship the two became engaged. Judge 
Symmes gave his consent to the marriage; but when 
certain slanderous reports against Captain Harrison 
reached him, he withdrew his consent. Anna, how- 
ever, had confidence in the young captain, and re- 
solved to marry him. 

"On the morning of the day fixed for that event Judge 
Symmes rode to Cincinnati, unsuspicious of any such doings. 
He was offended. He did not meet Harrison until several 
weeks afterward, when he met him at a dinner-party given 
by General Wilkinson, at Fort Washington. 'Well, sir,' said 
the Judge sternly to Captain Harrison, 'I understand you have 
married Anna.' 'Yes, sir,' answered the Captain. 'How do 
you expect to support her?' inquired the father. 'By my sword 
and my right arm,' quickly answered the young officer. The 
Judge was pleased with the spirit of the reply, and he became 
at once reconciled. He lived to be proud of his son-in-law." 

John Cleves Symmes died on the twenty-sixth day of Feb- 
ruary, of the year 1814, at Cincinnati. "About 30 rods (we 
quote from 'Ohio Historical Collections,' by Howe) in a 
westerly direction from the tomb of Harrison (9th President 

400 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

U. S.) on an adjacent hill, in a family cemetery, is the grave 
of Judge Symmes. * * * On it is the following inscrip- 
tion: 'Here rest the remains of John Cleves Symmes, who, at 
the foot of these hills, made the first settlement between the 
Miami rivers. Born on Long Island, State of New York, July 
21 st, A. D. 1772. Died at Cincinnati, February 26, A. D. 
1814.'" 

Apparently, about the year 1.781, there removed to 
Morristown one Walter Mould and his family. He 
seems to have come from New York City, where, it is 
said, he was engaged in business at No. 23 William 
street. Mould, who is spoken of as a man "of stand- 
ing and responsibility," is said to have been an Eng- 
lishman, and to have been employed as an artisan in 
some of the shops of Birmingham, one of the great 
manufacturing towns of his native country. It is even 
recorded that Mr. Mould brought across the Atlantic 
with him the tools and implements of his trade, which 
seems to have been that of a machinist. 

At the close of the Revolution, coin of any sort was 
very scarce; of copper coin this was especially true. 
Under the articles of confederation the United States 
could exercise no power over the currency, nor sup- 
ply in any way the existing deficiency; hence, no nat- 
ional mint had been established. By legislative au- 
thority a few of the States established State mints. At 
Rupert, Vermont; at New Haven, Connecticut; in 
Massachusetts and in New Jersey such mints were es- 
tablished, and coin was issued by them for the trans- 
action of reviving business. 

401 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

The mint at Rupert, Vermont, was in operation as 
early as the year 1785, and the copper cents issued by 
this mint bore on one side a plow, and a sun (rising 
from behind hills; and on the other side a radiated eye 
surrounded by thirteen stars. A small supply of half 
cents were also issued by the mint at Rupert. The 
Connecticut coins had on one side the figure of a 
human head and on the other that of a 
young woman holding an olive branch. The mint at 
New Haven, established also in the year 1785, contin- 
ued in operation for a period of about three years. In 
the year 1786 a mint (or mints, for there seems to have 
been two in the State) was established in New Jersey. 
The history of its origin was as follows : 

After his removal to Morristown, Walter Mould, 
knowing of the scarcity of coin, and doubtless of the 
establishment of mints in other States, suggested to 
some of the residents of the county seat of Morris, 
among them the Hon. Silas Condict, ''his next door 
neighbor." that he understood the art of coinage, and 
that he was willing to engage in the business, pro- 
vided legislative permission was granted him. Mr. 
Condict was at the time a member of the State Legis- 
lature, and, acting upon his advice, Mould applied to 
the Legislature, then in session, for authority to coin 
copper pennies. This was in the year 1786. On the 
first day of June, of the year last mentioned, an Act 
was passed by the Legislature of New Jersey authoriz- 
ing Walter Mould, Thomas Goadsby and Albian Cox, 
whom the former had associated with him, to coin 

402 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

copper pennies to the value of £10,000. These men 
were required to give bonds in the sum of £10,000, 
with sufficient security, that they would faithfully and 
honestly perform their contract. This they did. 

The coinage of copper cents was soon after com- 
menced, according to local tradition, at "Solitude," in 
a room set apart for the purpose. It is said that Mould 
with his family, occupied "Solitude" as a residence. 
Another mint seems to have been later established at 
Elizabethtown, perhaps by Robert Ogden, Jr., but un- 
der the auspices, however, of Colonel Matthias Og- 
den. Mould may have been connected in some capac- 
ity with the Elizabethtown mint. 

The coins minted at Morristown bore upon one 
side, the representation of a heart-shaped shield, with 
stripes running perpendicularly, with the inscription 
"E Pluribus Unnm," and on the other side a plow, 
above which was the representation of a horse's head 
(a substitute for the head of Queen Anne of English 
contemporaneous pennies), with the inscription, 
"Nova Caesarea," and the date of issue. These coin 
are now known as the "horse-head" pennies. They 
were coined for three successive years only — 1786, 
1787 and 1788. A national mint was established in the 
year 1792. From a well known Northern New Jersey 
antiquarian the writer learns, that he has within a few 
years past, paid as high as $1.00 each for some of the 
famous "horsehead pennies." 

"Solitude," subsequent to its occupancy by Walter 
Mould, was an inn and tavern, and for many years was 

403 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

kept by Captain Benjamin Holloway, grandfather of 
Morristown's efficient chief of police, J. Frank Hollo- 
way. The traffic between Sussex and Warren coun- 
ties and the markets below was so great that the 
"Wheatsheaf Inn," as Captain Holloway's famous tav- 
ern came to be known, carried on a thriving business. 
In illustration of this statement it may be said that 
frequently so crowded was this hospitable inn that it 
was necessary for the "youngsters" of the household 
to sleep on the hay in the adjacent barn. 

The "Wheatsheaf Tavern" as the writer is informed 
by a life-long Morristonian, was a two-story frame 
structure. At the western end of the building was a 
stone L, which was used as the kitchen; and under- 
neath the kitchen was a basement. The bar of this hos- 
telry was in the front right-hand corner of the spacious 
hallway, running from front to rear of the building. 
The partition shutting off the barroom from the hall- 
way was semi-circular in form, the lower part of it 
being of paneled boards, and the upper part of lattice 
work, running perpendicularly, and painted a light 
green color. The drinks were passed out to patrons 
through a small semi-circular opening, similar to that 
used by the teller in a commercial bank of the present 
day. A portion at least of the partition swung on 
hinges, thus constituting the means of ingress and 
egress to and from the barroom. 

In front of the tavern were several large black 
cherry trees, which not a few grown-up boys 
recollect with keen pleasure. At the left of the en- 

404 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

trance to the premises from the main road, there stood 
for many years a harness shop; and here quite a busi- 
ness was carried on in the manufacture of saddles, the 
leather used being made from pig skins furnished by 
Mr. Holloway from his stock yard. 

•"Solitude," including many acres, is now the prop- 
erty of Gustav E. Kissell, a New York banker. He is 
now having constructed on another and more desira- 
ble promontory of his farm a new house, which, when 
completed, will rank with Morristown's most elegant 
residences. 

Mr. Kissell's valuable property has been most ap- 
propriately named "Wheatsheaf Farm." In his pos- 
session is the interesting three-by-four-feet sign, which 
for many years swung in front of "Wheatsheaf Inn," 
after which, presumably, the farm of Mr. Kissell was 
named. Near the top of this old sign is a painted rep- 
resentation of a sheaf of wheat, and below is the name 
of the proprietor — "B. Holloway." Captain Holloway 
derived his title from service in the State militia after 
the Revolution. 

Not only as the residence of Chief Justice Symmes, 
and as the locale of the mint where the famous "horse- 
head pennies" were coined, is "Solitude," now 
"Wheatsheaf Farm," noted, but it is said that a silver 
mine was once worked on this property. The late 
Hon. Augustus W. Cutler stated to persons now liv- 
ing that he had a silver shoe buckle made from silver 
mined on the "Symmes" land. It is a peculiarly sig- 
nificant fact in this connection that John Dickerson, 

405 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

the Morristown silversmith or jeweler of Revolution- 
ary days, of whom mention was made in a previous 
chapter, once advertised the theft of fifty ounces of 
silver from his shop, as well also as "buckles just 
cast." This seems to be corroborative of the state- 
ment of our late townsman, Mr. Cutler, whose interest 
in and knowledge of Morristown, traditional and his- 
torical, are well known. 

"The Morristown Ghost; An account of the Begin- 
ning, Transactions and Discovery of Ransford Rogers 
who seduced many by pretended Hobgoblins and Ap- 
paritions, and thereby extorted money from their 
pockets. In the County of Morris and State of New 
Jersey, in the year 1788. Printed for every purchaser 
—1792." 

Such was the title page of a i6mo pamphlet which 
made its appearance in New Jersey soon after the 
close of the Revolution; 1792 was the year. By some, 
it was thought to have been written by the Ransford 
Rogers named on its title page, as a means of pecun- 
iary profit to himself; and as a method, also, of pun- 
ishing the people of Morristown for the treatment he 
claimed to have received at their hands. To a printer 
in Elizabethtown, Sheppard Kollock by name, the 
publication of the pamphlet was at the time, by many 
persons attributed. So far as possible, the first edition 
of this remarkable pamphlet, which contained the 
names of many prominent persons in Morristown and 
vicinity, from whose pockets money was alleged to 

406 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

have been extorted by the "Morristown Ghost," is 
said to have been bought up and destroyed. 

From two or three sources, however, the writer of 
this history has received communications during the 
few months past, suggestively offering him "an orig- 
nal copy of the 'Morristown Ghost,' " from which it 
s safe to infer that, notwithstanding the strenuous 
conoclastic efforts of the fathers, alleged to have 
been duped by the Yankee schoolmaster, clad in 
ghostly apparel, at least "just one" copy of the obnox- 
ious pamphlet has survived. It may be that the sev- 
eral correspondents who have generously placed at his 
command "an original copy" of the devoutly-wished- 
for original "Morristown Ghost," have done so as a 
means of retaliation upon the Yankee preacher, for 
the alleged depredations of the Yankee pedagogue of 
"long ago" upon the county seat worthies who now 
lie in honored graves, of which the English poet so 
quaintly speaks in the lines: 

"Here may thy storme-beth vessell safely ryde 

This is the port of rest from troublous toyle, 

The worlde's sweet inn from paine and wearisome turmoyle." 

But these epistolary offers of an "original copy" of 
the "Morristown Ghost" are not by any means the 
only attempts which have been made to "get even" 
with the Yankee preacher, who is "now writing 
books," which have added to his amusing experiences 
while writing the story of Morristown's first and 



407 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

famous century, as the following incident will illus- 
trate : 

Accosted one day not long since by a well-known 
typo, whose perennial (we speak hyperbolically) per- 
ambulations among the printing establishments of 
northern New Jersey are proverbial (hyperbole again), 
the writer patiently listened while said typo remarked, 
in tones of ghostly accent not dissimilar, as said writer 
imagines, to those of the Yankee pedagogue when 
clad in the habiliments of the departed: "Mr. Sher- 
man, Mr. So- and-So has 'an original copy' (can it be 
possible there has been a retaliatory collusion on foot 
between correspondents and typo?) of the 'Morristown 
Ghost;' it is the only one in existence, all the other 
copies having been destroyed. So-and-So wouldn't 
take a thousand dollars for it (no, the writer is certain 
he would not, since for nothing, nothing can be 
received); it was presented to him by an old gentle- 
man, who assured him it was the 'last of the 
Mohicans.' " 

"Of course, you will write up the 'Morristown 
Ghost,' Mr. Sherman, in connection with your admir- 
able story of Morristown's first century. Now, I can 
procure this 'original copy' for you, containing 'all 
the names,' on condition you will show it to no one, 
since if others saw it they might have a reprint made 
of it, with all the names of Rogers's dupes, and realize 
a fortune from the sale of the rare edition. This I 
propose doing myself soon, as I am now negotiating 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

for the purchase of the facilities for a reprint; for I 
am certain 'there is money in it.' " 

The promise, on the part of the writer, to preserve 
inviolate, so far as showing it to a third party was con- 
cerned, the "only copy of the Morristown Ghost" 
extant, was the work of a moment only; and the 
promise would have been sacredly kept had "the 
goods been delivered, since, to quote from an English 
author: "To tell our own secrets is generally folly, 
but that folly is without guilt; to communicate those 
with which we are entrusted is always treachery, and 
treachery for the most part combined with folly." But 
"the goods were never delivered," notwithstanding a 
several times repeated asseveration, on the part of the 
"perambulating typo," to leave them at the residence 
of the Yankee preacher. Is it to be inferred, or would 
the present writer so state, that said typo is wholly 
unlike George Washington, with "his little hatchet," 
who. as the story runs, could not tell a lie? Emphati- 
cally no! Or is it the case that the said typo could tell 
a lie but would not? or would he and couldn't he? 
Perhaps the following sequel to our little story will 
furnish the facts from which the reader may draw his 
own inference: 

A few days after the aforementioned conversation 
between the "Yankee preacher-author" and the "per- 
ennial perambulating typo," the latter delivered to 
the writer a copy of a comparatively recent reprint of 
"The Morristown Ghost," made by local publishers, 
who, if gossip is to be relied upon, thought they saw 

409 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

"bar'ls of money" in it. By this publishing establish- 
ment the typo has not a few times been employed, and 
between the parties of the first part and the parties of 
the second part there still exists, it is sincerely to be 
hoped, a friendly feeling not of the common sort. 
Now, since the delivery of the wrong goods to the 
writer, by the aforesaid typo, the latter, as the former 
imagines, has frequently awoke from his slumbers 
only to see the immense pile of the reprint of "The 
Morristown Ghost," which has for several years 
encumbered the sagging shelves of said publishers, 
disappearing like autumn leaves before the equinoc- 
tial at $i or less per copy, in consequence of the 
extensive advertisement given it by the writer in his 
story of Morristown's first century. 

"The year previous to the publication of the book," 
'The Morristown Ghost' (the writer now quotes from 
a very interesting letter recently received from 
Edwin A. Ely, a genuine Jersey antiquarian), "there 
appeared in the New Jersey Journal, Elizabethtown, 
October 19, 1797, the following advertisement: 

" 'Friday evening next, at the Academy in this Town, will 
be presented, 

" 'A Dramatic Piece, called 

" The 

"'Morris-Town Ghost; 

"'Or, The 

" 'Force of Credulity ; 

" 'To which will be added, 

" 'Chrononhotonthologos. 

" 'Tickets at three shillings each, to be had at Mr. Shute's. 

410 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Doors to be opened at five o'clock, and the entertainment to 
begin precisely at six. 

"'Elizabeth-Town, October 19, 1791.' " 

"This play (which is said to have been written by a son 
of Rev. James Richards, D. D., a former Morristown pastor) ' 
was repeated January 27, 1792, but I find no other play an- 
nounced at the Academy in looking over the New Jersey 
Journal for several years. The drama was probably written 
for the occasion and I find no trace of its having been printed. 
(The actors were probably all bought up, and destroyed, the 
present writer may be pardoned for injecting). 

From the circumstance of the "dramatic piece" 
enacted by those "bad boys" at Elizabeth-Town, in 
the year 1791, the year previous to the publication of 
the "Morristown Ghost" in the form of a i6mo 
pamphlet, it is very evident the story of the ghostly 
depredations of Rogers and his accomplices in Morris- 
town and vicinity, was "in the air" before it was "in a 
book;" which is presumptively, at least, in favor- of the 
authenticity of the story as graphically related in the 
volume, of which every copy, so far as possible, was 
"bought up and destroyed," after its publication. 
Byron says: 

Words are things ; and a small drop of ink, 

Falling like dew upon a thought, produces 

That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think." 

This is especially true of written words; and of this 
truth we have a practical illustration in the following 
circumstance: David Young, whose name, nearly 

411 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

four-score years ago, adorned the title pages of many 
of the almanacs of the period suggested, "accident- 
ally," as we are informed, found a copy of the original 
"Morristown Ghost" at Elizabeth, and, doubtless 
aware that this was the "only copy" in existence, and 
devoutly wishing to confer upon his fellowmen the 
benefits of a new edition, there soon appeared in New 
Jersey a little book bearing the following title: "The 
Wonderful History of the Morristown Ghost; thor- 
oughly and carefully revised. By David Young, New- 
ark. Published by Benjamin Olds, for the author. J. 
C. Totten, Printer." This was in the year 1826. 
Whether David Young, mathematician and almanac 
compiler, made "bar'ls o' money" from his reprint, 
the writer is unable to say. The reprint produced by 
the enterprising Morristown publishers, already men- 
tioned, was, of course, of more recent date. 

Notwithstanding the delivery, by the "perennial 
perambulating (hyperbole continued) typo," to the 
"Yankee preacher-author" of the "wrong goods," the 
latter has for some time been in possession of what 
constitutes "the heart" of the "Morristown Ghost," 
to wit, the full name of the county seat worth- 
ies from whose none-too-deep pockets (the Revo- 
lution had impoverished some, at least, of them) 
money is alleged to have been extorted by Rans- 
ford Rogers and his accomplices, and he now pro- 
ceeds to — publish these names ? Not yet ; not yet, 
dear reader. Speaking of the names of the fathers 
duped by Rogers and his auxilliary ghosts, recalls the 

412 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

recent receipt of a letter by the writer from a gentle- 
man residing many miles from Morristown. After 
expressing the pleasure with which he had been read- 
ing the story of Morristown's first century, as pug- 
lished serially in the Saturday issues of the Newark 
Evening News, he continues: 

"When you come to deal with the 'Morristown 
Ghost,' a copy of the early account of which (perhaps 
Young's) I have, please let me know if you learn the 
names of the persons who were duped. The names, I 
think, were once published, and afterward the prints 
suppressed. I am curious to know the names of the 
victims." 

In the present writer's reply to the very interesting 
letter above mentioned he made an honest confession 
of having in his possession "the names" of all the 
fathers duped by the Morristown ghost and his auxil- 
iaries; but added, that for the sake of the living 
descendants of those duped fathers, he did not con- 
sider it kind to publish them in the story of Morris- 
town's first century. 

"Why not?" have several friends in manifest aston- 
ishment inquired of the writer, when he has expressed 
his disinclination to do so; "why not; it is matter of 
history, is it not?" 

Matter of history it most assuredly is, but this kind 
of argument is a two-edged sword that cleaves two 
ways. Because it is history, and not myth or legend, 
is a most potent reason, as the writer conceives why he 
should not publish the names of our worthy sires, the 

4i3 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

victims of superstition, and of the misfortunes of war 
by which some of them were impoverished, and hence 
made hyper-sensitive to the glitter of gold. How 
about the superstitions of the twentieth century? 
Would not our time be more profitably employed in 
"showing them up?" 

Since the amusing experiences of the writer pre- 
viously mentioned, it has been his rare pleasure to see 
with his own eyes, and handle with his own hands, a 
genuine copy of the original edition of "The Morris- 
town Ghost." A careful comparison of the typogra- 
phy of this book with that of "The Prompter; or a 
Commentary on Common Sayings & Subjects," 
printed at Newark, New Jersey, in the year 1793, by 
John Woods, proves, to the satisfaction of the writer, 
that both books were printed at the same office. 




414 




CHAPTER XX. 

"Glendower. — I can call spirits from the vasty deep. 
Hotspur. — Why so can I, or so can any man, 

But will they come when you do call for them?" 



| |8 


Mil 


[s£^SMl.i 



T was once the prevailing belief 
among the people of Morris Coun- 
ty that during the Revolution large 
sums of money had been buried in 
the earth by Tories and others, and 
that these buried treasures were 
zealously guarded by spirits. A single instance, 
only, of the "others" will be cited, that of Elihu Bond, 
the father of Mrs. Martha Doremus Pruden, widow 
of Cyrus Pruden, recently deceased at Morristown. 
Mr. Bond, the father of Mrs. Pruden, served as a pri- 
vate in the New Jersey line in the Revolutionary 
army. "During the war he buried a small chest con- 
taining silverware and money; and when, at the close 
of the war, he went to recover his buried treasure, he 
found it undisturbed and intact. This chest, together 
with the several silver spoons and a few coins that 

4i5 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

were hidden in it, are now in possession of the Wash- 
ington Association, and on exhibition in Headquarters 
at Morristown." 

The knowledge of the art of dispelling the guardian 
spirits was considered indispensable to the obtainment 
of the coveted buried treasures. Schooley's Moun- 
tain, situated about twenty miles west of Morristown, 
was supposed to be the locality chiefly selected for 
the burial of these treasures, which was done, in the 
case of Tories, partly as a means of protection against 
confiscation by the State. Not a few of these Tories, 
after burying their treasures, had left home, and never 
returned, having either been slain in the service of the 
King, whose cause they had espoused, or, if they had 
survived the war, had been compelled to leave the 
State and seek a new home in some other country. 

It was in the summer of the year 1788 that two Mor- 
ris County men were traveling through New York 
State, where, at a place known as Smith's Clove, in 
Orange County, they formed the acquaintance of a 
Yankee schoolmaster, one Ransford Rogers by name, 
hailing from the Nutmeg State. Smith's Clove lies 
back of Haverstraw, between it and Stony Point. For 
some time these two enterprising men had been in 
search of a person who could locate and recover the 
buried treasures at Schooley's Mountain in their 
native county. The Yankee schoolmaster, by reason, 
as he claimed, of his thorough knowledge of chemistry 
("chymistry" he called it) and other sciences, pos- 
sessed the power not only to raise the spirits, good and 

416 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

evil, but likewise to dispel them. At last these two 
Morris County worthies had discovered "their man," 
and he was therefore urged to accompany them to 
Morristown, where he could give a practical demon- 
stration of his skill in "chymistry." To say that these 
Jersey travelers had suddenly become wealthy, pros- 
pectively, would only be to say that they were under 
the complete sway of the superstition of the times. 

Rogers was too shrewd a man to at once accept the 
invitation to accompany them to their native heath; 
not unlike the adept at mock modesty of more recent 
times, he at first declined the proposal, but the promise 
of a school in the vicinity of the county seat of Morris 
induced an oral consent which had been mentally pre- 
existent. About three miles to the westward of Mor- 
ristown, on the road leading toward Mendham, and on 
a hill near the modern residence of Samuel F. Pierson, 
stood, at the close of the Revolution, a schoolhouse. 
Over this school Rogers was installed as teacher 
through the influence of his personally and mercen- 
arily interested admirers, who hoped he would bring 
them "much gain by soothsaying." 

It was early in the month of August, in the year 
1788, that the Yankee pedagogue assumed the grave 
responsibilities of his suburban appointment. In their 
undue haste to receive a demonstration of Rogers's 
occult skill, the treasure-seekers eagerly importuned 
him to give an exhibition of his art. Realizing that 
Jerseymen were not, after all, such stupid specimens 
of humanity as he had at first imagined, the imperative 

4i7 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

need of an accomplice in the practise of his black art 
dawned upon the mind of Rogers, and, late in the 
month of August, therefore, he made a hurried trip 
to New England to select from among his fellow- 
"chymists" an assistant in his mystic work. He seems 
to have experienced no difficulty in finding a "kindred 
spirit," for early in the month of September, Rogers 
returned to Morristown with an accomplice, with 
whom he must have been thoroughly satisfied, since 
the man's name was Goodenough. 

Evidently impressed with the desirability of expedi- 
tion of movement, a secret meeting was held soon 
after Rogers's return to Morristown, with his im- 
ported accomplice, at which some eight or ten selected 
participants were present, and as an indispensable pre- 
liminary to active operations, these persons were sol- 
emnly assured by the imported pedagogue, of the 
presence at Schooley's Mountain of the commonly 
reported buried treasures. The prevailing belief that 
this treasure was vigilantly guarded by spirits, and 
that these must be raised and carefully consulted be- 
fore it could be utilized by the living, was shrewdly 
emphasized by Rogers at this initial meeting of the 
elect. The Yankee schoolmaster gave another rare 
exhibition of his proverbial modesty by the assurance 
on his part, at the meeting above mentioned, of his 
ability to entice the spirits from their resting places, 
situated somewhere in the earth's bowels, and of his 
thorough acquaintance with the language of these 
denizens of darkness, which constituted a sympathetic 

418 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

mutual bond which would insure the impartation from 
the spirits, to him, of the last remnant of occult knowl- 
edge required for the discovery and actual possession 
in hand of the treasures interred by Tories and semi- 
Tories in the days of the Revolution. No finer illus- 
tration of the shrewdness of Rogers was exhibited 
than his solemn admonition to the elect, administered 
at the close of their initial meeting, held apparently at 

the residence of Mr. , situated at a secluded 

spot on the Mendham road, known as "Solitude." 
This admonition was to refrain from all immorality, on 
the ground that indulgence therein would offend the 
denizens of darkness and prevent the yielding up by 
them of the buried treasures. 

The original number of the elect did not long con- 
tinue, since the dazzle of prospective gold and the irre- 
sistible impulse to communicate to others the ''hope 
of gain" soon increased the coterie of gold seekers to 
forty. Rogers's pretended meetings with the guar- 
dian spirits became frequent. As a means of bolster- 
ing up the credulity of the elect, he utilized his knowl- 
edge of "chymistry" by compounding various chemi- 
cal ingredients, which, thrown into the air, exploded, 
causing a variety of appearances mysterious and ex- 
traordinary, to the active superstition of the people 
involved. These appearances and other phenomena 
attending Rogers's chemical experiments were sup- 
posed by his victims to be of a supernatural origin 
and character. The skill of the Yankee schoolmaster 
was still further displayed, and the credulity of the 

419 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

elect (elect in the sense of having been carefully se- 
lected by Rogers as easy victims), still further stimu- 
lated by occasional and dreadful subterranean explo- 
sions caused by "timed" explosives placed in the 
earth, and which, occurring according to careful plan- 
ning in the night, were a source of great terror to the 
elect people. Such was the terror occasioned by these 
phenomena that it was with great reluctance the vic- 
tims ventured out after dark. But another effect of 
the "chymical" experiments alluded to was the grow- 
ing impatience of the elect to take active measures 
toward the discovery of the buried treasures. 

So importunate did they become that a general 
meeting was called, and notwithstanding the severe 
storm prevailing not a single treasure seeker was ab- 
sent. Some, it is said, rode a distance of twelve miles 
to be present at this spirit conventicle. Between the 
call for the general meeting, and its occurrence, Rog- 
ers had thoroughly instructed his accomplice; 
everything was "cut and dried." To the assembled 
and wonder-stricken coterie the spirit appeared, and 
informed them that on a certain night in the near 
future they must again meet in a field situated half a 
mile from human habitation, where they would be re- 
quired to form certain specified angles and circles, to 
get outside of which would result in their immediate 
extirpation. 

At about half-past 10 o'clock on the night ap- 
pointed, the elect gathered and marched round and 
round in solemn procession. A terrible subterranean 

420 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

explosion occurring- in the near vicinity so thoroughly 
''jarred" them that their teeth must have chattered. 
Impressed by the supernatural character of these phe- 
nomena — "noises," the writer presumes the victims 
called them — the elect were suitably predisposed to 
catch the faintest whisper of the guardian spirits; 
hence, when with hideous groans they made their ap- 
pearance to Rogers, and he, in the presence of the 
subdued throng, conversed with them, the elect were 
fully prepared to accept with avidity their communica- 
tions, which were, that in order to obtain the buried 
treasures, each of them (there may have been half a 
hundred of the elect by this time) must deliver £12 
(about $30) to them (the spirits), as an acknowledg- 
ment. At the same time the spirits manifested their 
extreme fondness for Rogers by enjoining the elect to 
fail not to acknowledge him as their mundane leader 
in future operations. It is said the spirits on the occa- 
sion mentioned wore machines over their mouths to 
prevent their voices "giving them away." 

November, in the year 1788, was the time of the 
manifestations thus related. At several subsequent 
meetings the manifestations of ghostly presence con- 
sisted of hidous groans, mysterious rappings, sugges- 
tive and tantalizing jingling of gold and silver coin; 
and, by way of encouragement in their unworldly en- 
terprise, the elect were exhorted by the spirits to 
"Press forward!" There is one feature of the ghostly 
transactions under review which cannot fail to particu- 
larly impress the reader, which is this: The guardian 

421 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

spirits were willing — so willing, indeed, that it was a 
part of their considerate requisition — to receive gold 
and silver coin rather than the "loan paper" then cur- 
rent in New Jersey, in the way of acknowledgment by 
the elect. 

The spirits were willing to be burdened with 
metallic money, and to permit the elect to enjoy the 
convenience of a form of money of lighter weight and 
more evanescent character also. And another inter- 
esting feature of the ghost story is the fact that the 
elect were not at all reluctant to retain for their own 
use the "loan paper" money, and deliver over to the 
spirits the hard coin as "an acknowledgment," what- 
ever that meant in the nomenclature of the spirit land. 
The reader is cautioned, however, not to regard this 
transaction, so far as the elect were concerned, as 
purely unselfish; for local tradition informs us that 
they expected speedy reimbursement in coin from the 
well-stocked underground bank. It is said that by the 
month of March of the following year (1789), the 
spirits had received from the elect the full amount of 
the required acknowledgment, and all in coin, be it 
remembered. How their shroud pockets must have 
sagged! By this time the spirits had assumed such 
familiar relations with their cash contributors, that 
some of the more responsible of them were not a few 
times aroused from their midnight slumbers in order 
to have imparted to them by their spirit friends the 
better course of procedure in obtaining the earth-em- 
boweled treasures. 

422 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

At several private meetings, at which the manifesta- 
tions were various, the elect were informed by the dis- 
interested spirits that in the month of May following, 
they would receive returns for their hard cash, and 
then did the words of the immortal Bard of Avon come 
true in the case of each of this batch of happy prom- 
isees: 

"1 am giddy; expectation whirls me 'round. 
The imaginary relish is so sweet 
That it enchants my sense." 

The month of May was not long in arriving, and 
upon its arrival the entire company of the elect were 
assembled in an open field, where the prescribed circle 
was formed, and the appearance of the spirits awaited 
in breathless suspense. When they did appear it was 
to assume a position at a prudent distance from the 
circle; and then followed a scene that beggars descrip- 
tion. Symptoms of intense irascibility, attended by 
the most horrible groans, were exhibited by the 
spirits, and in their effort to give expression to their 
irascibility they twisted themselves into postures of the 
most ghastly sort, which, amid the encompassing 
darkness, were hideous in the extreme. If the af- 
frighted spectators had been able to summon up the 
power of speech each would have cried out: 

I feel my sinews slacken'd with the fright 

And a cold sweet thrills down all o'er my limbs, 

As if I were dissolving into water. 

423 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

In speechless horror, however, the elect listened to 
the severe upbraidings of the spirits, for the allege!! 
irregularity of their procedure, for their faithlessness, 
and for their incapacity to "keep a secret," and, worst 
of all, the spirits indignantly declared that, owing to 
their inconsistent deportment, the elect would be de- 
barred from receiving, for the present, the coveted 
treasures. So enraged did the spirits become, and 
so overwhelmed by fright were their victims, that the 
thought of money vanished entirely from their minds, 
and in their extremity they looked to Rogers for pro- 
tection. But it was horror added to horror for the 
elect to discover, that the imported schoolmaster was, 
apparently, as much frightened as they. Indeed, his 
efforts to appease the enraged spirits seemed at first 
almost futile. He did, however, succeed, after re- 
course to a variety of incantations, in dispelling the 
ghostly visitants, and once more tranquillity reigned 
within the circle. 

The elect soon dispersed, and, strange to say, their 
credulity still survived, and their confidence in the 
Yankee schoolmaster was in no measure abated. 
They still looked forward expectantly to the posses- 
sion of the long coveted treasures, lying somewhere in 
old mother earth. 

Rogers might have been perennially and pleasantly 
remembered by his friends, the elect, as an expert 
"chymist," fully qualified to raise even the devil him- 
self, had he been satisfied to drop the matter where it 
was. But a wise man has said: "We may recover out 

424 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

of the darkness of ignorance, but never out of that of 
presumption." Rogers had become presumptuous. 
He soon removed to Morristown village, having given 
up his school on the Mendham road; he evidently 
"didn't have to" teach any more. 

Two other Yankees who had recently removed to 
the county seat of Morris, and who had heard of Rog- 
ers's "chymical" operations, expressed a feverish de- 
sire to become members of the expectant circle of 
treasure seekers. To this proposition Rogers de- 
murred; but he was at length persuaded by them to 
engage in a second enterprise of a similar character. 
The nucleus of this second venture, consisting of five 
pieces of new and raw material, soon held their initial 
meeting. In addition to the groans and noises hitherto 
composing the spirit manifestations to the elect, each 
member of the new circle, including the three Yan- 
kees, took from a prepared pile a piece of paper, wrap- 
ped it around his wrist, and thrust the hand out of the 
door into the darkness, and patiently waited for the 
spirits to write upon the paper. Withdrawing the 
hands and the papers and huddling the latter to- 
gether, they were anxiously examined, when lo! upon 
one of them, there were found written the mention of 
a time and place for meeting the spirits and receiving 
from them instructions concerning the discovery and 
obtainment of the buried treasures. The writer trusts 
that no reader will for a moment suppose the spirit 
message above mentioned was written by either of the 
Yankee schoolmasters , for that would be to attribute 

425 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

to them cuteness of the highest order; cuteness bor- 
dering on genius. 

The spirit-suggested meeting was held at the house 
of Ransford Rogers, in the village of Morristown. He 
was evidently growing very religious, for at this meet- 
ing the exercises were opened with prayer. A sheet 
of paper was then taken by each member of the new 
enterprise, whereupon they all proceeded in orderly 
fashion to a nearby field, where a circle was drawn. 
With one arm elevated they all fell '"with awful rever- 
ence prone," engaging, with closed eyes, in prayer, 
and in supplication that the spirit would be pleased to 
enter the circle and on the paper write his message 

from . On returning to Rogers's house the 

papers were shuffled together, and lo! on one the 
spirit-message was written, in penmanship so elegant 
that it became a marvel to the amazed coterie. 

"The membership of this company must be increas- 
ed to eleven. Each of the augmented membership must 
pay to the spirit (as an acknowledgment,' the writer 
imagines), twelve pounds in gold (specie payment still 
required)." Such may have been, in substance, the 
spirit message aforesaid. Rogers evidently "knew" his 
men. They were identified with the village church, 
and were presumably, at least, of a pious turn of mind. 
Hence, the Yankee from Smith's Clove, Orange 
County, New York, resolved that the gold-seeking en- 
terprise should be conducted on strictly Christian 
principles, and having so resolved, he (as the "Morris- 
town Ghost") inaugurated a systematic visitation of 

426 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

church members, representing himself as "the spirit of 
a just man," made perfect, and piously exhorted them 
to enter the charmed circle. Result? He persuaded 
thirty-seven persons, mostly members of Parson 
Johne's church, to cast their lot in with the gold- 
seekers. It was not long before some of the more sus- 
ceptible of these new members began to receive noc- 
turnal visits, and were exhorted by the spirits to "pray 
without ceasing," "look to God," and in other ways 
conduct themselves as good men should. 

To inflame their credulity to white heat various 
tricks were now and then performed by the spirit (the 
"Morristown Ghost," is meant) for the benefit of the 
treasure-seekers. As a token of spirit approbation 
each member was presented by Rogers with a parcel, 
which they were informed by the "chymical" expert 
contained the burned and powdered bones of the spir- 
it's bodies. This gift had been preceded, however, by 
the payment (as "a retainer," perhaps) of a portion of 
the required twelve pounds gold. The powdered bones 
were to be carefully guarded, but the parcel was not 
to be opened. The next requirement to be mentiond 
may not have been particularly difficult, nor onerous, 
for the treasure-seekers to comply with; it was none 
else than to drink freely of "Apple jack ;" as a result of 
which compliance, future meetings became somewhat 
convivial, as well as religious, and on their return 
home, it was not always easy for the treasure-seekers 
to find the door latch. But then thev were church 



427 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

members, and hence excusable for their little irregu- 
larities. 

Rogers seems, also, in addition to his knowledge of 
"chymistry," to have been something of a therapeutist, 
for it is said he compounded pills, and prescribed one 
to be taken by each member of the company of treas- 
ure-seekers, said pill to be supplemented by liberal po- 
tions of "Apple jack," to prevent deleterious effects. 
These instructions having been dictated by the spirits, 
the Yankee schoolmaster (retired) should not be held 
altogether responsible for the effects of his erratic 
therapeutical practises. 

"And thus the whirligig of time brings in his re- 
venges," is a saying which was strikingly illustrated in 
the sequel to the operations of the spirits of the year 
1788-89 in Morristown. Among the coterie of spirit- 
guided treasure-seekers was a man well advanced in 
years. On leaving home for a few days, he so far for- 
got the sacredness of his promise, as to leave behind 
his parcel of burned bones. Finding, and out of 
womanly curiosity breaking open the mysterious par- 
cel, his wife, on discovering its contents, feared to 
touch the powder. She, too, was a victim of the sup- 
erstition of the times, and apprehending that the pow- 
der was in some way connected with witchcraft, she 
went at once to her pastor for advice in the matter. 
Learning, upon his return home, of what had occurred 
during his absence, the husband, whose name was — 
but this story is not to divulge names — declared he 
was ruined. Ruined only in the realm of distorted im- 

428 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

agination, and ruined in this sense only until he dis- 
closed to his wife the secret spirit operations with 
which he and his neighbors had so long been identi- 
fied, for she was the Moses who guided him out of 
the Egypt of darkness. She at once pronounced the 
whole thing the work of the devil, and declared her 
intention to make the matter public. Alarmed at the 
resolution of this good woman, Rogers and his accom- 
plices pursued their spirit visitations with renewed 
vigor, and with the performance of freshly conceived 
tricks to overcome the scruples of the superstitious. 
These efforts might have succeeded in postponing a 
little longer, at least, the day of retribution, had not 
Rogers, having imbibed too freely of Apple jack, 
made several blunders while conversing one night, as 
a spirit (the Morristown Ghost) with a resident of the 
county seat. It was the man's wife, however, who de- 
tected the inconsistency of spirit conduct which led to 
Rogers's exposure. Finding next morning where the 

spirit visitant of the previous night had been, the 
tracks of a man, the husband followed them to a near- 
bv fence, where he discovered a horse had been tied. 

The man's eyes were now wide open, and so were 
those of others. The spell was broken. The bubble 
had burst. Rogers was arrected, and confined in the 
jail on the Green. But, protesting his innocence, he 
was bailed out of jail. He attempted surreptitiously to 
leave the State. Again he was arrested, this time 
making a confession. 

Such was the enslaving power of credulity that 
429 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

many of Rogers's followers remained for no little time 
steadfast in their delusions. At last, however, the con- 
fession of the leader resulted in their recovery from the 
delusion which had so long enchained them. Rogers 
escaped from the jail and left the State, never to re- 
turn. Is it possible his now mortified and crestfallen 
victims connived at his escape and assisted him in his 
effort to flee the scenes of his "chymical" depreda- 
tions? 

Rogers is said to have realized about $1,500 from 
his practise, in Morristown and vicinity, by the art of 
"chymistry." In his operations he had "interested" 
and successfully duped a brave Revolutionary officer; 
an esteemed disciple of Blackstone; a Morristown jus- 
tice of the peace; two local physicians in good practice; 
a local miller, not of the "Dee" but of the Whippa- 
nong; a Whippanong resident of substance, and had 
tried, but in vain, to "interest" two other residents of 
the latter place, one of them a subsequent member of 
Congress. A Dover justice of the peace was induced, 
but reluctantly and "without faith," to join the enter- 
prise, but it is said he was shrewd enough to come out 
of it in improved condition, financially. And thus endi 
eth the story of the "Morristown Ghost," which has 
been related by the writer, not because of any pleasure 
experienced on his part, but being a phase of local his- 
tory, it must needs be told. 

Many of the American colonists found themselves 
in an impoverished condition at the close of the seven 
years' struggle for national independence. The peo- 

430 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

pie of Morris County, however, were in some respects 
more fortunate than those of other sections of the 
country, for their fields had not been devastated nor 
their dwellings destroyed by the enemy. Because of 
the prompt and energetic utilization of the resources 
of the county, its growth was rapid in population and 
in wealth. Nothing contributed more fully to this 
growth than the iron industry, for the development of 
which numerous forges were either rebuilt or built 
anew in various sections of the county. The log cab- 
ins of pre-Revolutionary and even Revolutionary 
times were superseded by more comfortable and, in 
not a few instances, by more pretentious houses. Bet- 
ter roads were made. The acreage of arable land was 
much increased and a new impetus given to agricul- 
tural pursuits. Additional schools were established 
throughout the county, including at the county seat a 
school for the fitting of young men for college. Sev- 
eral newspapers were also established. 

In the year 1791 a new and more commodious meet- 
ing-house was completed by the Presbyterians. A 
picture of this meeting-house may be seen in this vol- 
ume. It will be noticed that there was in this struc- 
ture of 1 79 1 but a single front entrance. A few years 
later, a large window was substituted for this central 
entrance; and two entrances, one on either side of the 
window, were made; as may be seen in other extant 
pictures of the building. It is through the courtesy of 
Harriet A. Freeman, a life-long resident of Morris- 
town, and a member of the First Presbyterian Church, 

43 1 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

that we are able to offer to our readers this interesting' 
picture of the old First Church edifice. 

From the text: "I have fought a good fight, I have 
finished my course, I have kept the faith." Rev. Tim- 
othy Johnes, D. D., preached, in the year 1793 his half 
century sermon to a great congregation. 

"In 1791, (the words of Rev. Rufus S. Green, D. D., appear- 
ing in 'History of Morris County,' are here quoted) he 
fractured his thigh bone by a fall, which confined him for 
months to his bed, and made him a cripple for the remainder 
of his life. After more than a year's confinement he was able 
to attend public worship. Aided by one or two of his elders he 
reached the desk, where, seated on a high cushioned chair, 
he would occasionally address the people. In this condition he 
preached in 1703 his half-century sermon to a crowded as- 
sembly, who came from all quarters to hear it. * * * 
In the delivery of that discourse he manifested unusual ani- 
mation, and in the closing prayer he seemed to breathe out his 
whole soul in fervent petition for the peace, prosperity and 
salvation of his people. The service was closed by singing 
the 71st Psalm — 'God of my childhood and my youth,' etc. In 
reading the first verse, said an eye-witness, 'his voice began 
to falter and became tremulous. He proceeded with much 
emotion, while the tears trickled over his venerable cheeks, 
and before he could utter the last line his voice seemed to die 
away amidst the sobs and tears of the whole assembly.' 

"Seldom did he address his people after this. In the follow- 
ing winter, as he was riding to church on Sabbath morning, 
his sleigh was upset a short distance from his house, which 
broke his other thigh bone. He was carried to his home, and 
never left it till he was removed by the hands of others to the 
grave yard. He died September 15th, 1794, in the 78th year 



432 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

of his age, the 52nd of his pastorate and 54th of his minis- 
try. 

"His tombstone bears the following inscription: 'As a Chris- 
tion few ever discovered more piety — as a minister few labored 
longer, more zealously or more successfully than did this min- 
ister of Jesus Christ.' 

"During his pastorate of over half a century he received into 
the church 600 members and 572 half-way members, officiated 
at 2,827 baptisms, and 948 marriages, and disciplined 170 mem- 
bers." 

From a manual of the First Presbyterian Church of Mor- 
ristown, prepared by the Rev. Albert Barnes, D. D., in the year 
1828, the following tribute to the Rev. Timothy Johnes, D. D., 
is quoted : "Few men have ever been more successful as min- 
isters of the gospel than Dr. Johnes. To have been the instru- 
ment of founding a large and flourishing church ; to have been 
regarded as its affectionate father and guide ; to have estab- 
lished the ordinances of the gospel, and formed the people to 
respect its institutions ; to have produced that outward order 
and morality and love of good institutions now observable in 
this congregation, was itself worthy of the toils of his life. In 
being permitted to regard himself as, under God, the origina- 
tor of habits and good institutions which are to run into com- 
ing generations, he could not but look upon his toils as amply 
recompensed. 

But he was permitted also to see higher fruit of the labor of 
his ministry. It pleased a gracious God, not only to grant a 
gradual increase of the church, but also at two different times 
to visit the congregation with a special revival of religion. The 
first occurred in 1764. * * * The second revival com- 
menced in 1774. * * * In 1790 there was another season 
of unusual excitement on the subject of religion. * * * 

In "History of Morris County," the Rev. Dr. Green further 
says: "Rev. Aaron C. Collins was settled January 6th, 1791, as 
colleague pastor of Dr. Johnes. He was dismissed after a brief 
and unpleasant pastorate, September 2d, 1793. 

433 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Rev. James Richards, D. D., was settled May 1st, 1795, and 
dismissed April 26th, 1809. * * * On the 21st of July, 
1794, a call from this church was made and put into his hands, 
in which he was offered $440 salary in quarterly payments, the 
use of the parsonage and firewood. This was in due time 
accepted by him, and on the 1st of May, 1795 he was 
ordained and installed pastor of the church by the Presbytery 
of New York. * * * In November, 1795, the old church 
was taken down, vacated and sold in lots. A good part of 
it was converted into a distillery and cider-mill on Water 
Street. So great, so it was said, was the attachment of many 
of the members for it that they could not refrain from using 
it in its new location. On November 26th, 1795, Mr. Richards 
preached the first sermon in the new and present (1880) house. 
The old plan of rating and collecting was now discontinued; 
and in its place the pews were sold and assessed. The number 
purchasing or renting pews was 158, and sum paid was 
$533-35- The expenses for 1797, according to an old mem- 
orandum, were: Salary, $440; sweeping the church, $15; sex- 
ton, $15; cake for wood cutters, $19; printing, $2; 'Cyder,' 
$5.62. Total, 496.62. Cake and cider formed it would appear 
no inconsiderable part of the sum total of expenses. The 
minister was promised so much salary, parsonage and fire- 
wood. The "wood-frolick,' as it was called, was a great event 
in the parish. It brought together the greater part of the 
congregation, the ladies preparing supper at the parsonage, 
which was heartily enjoyed by those who were busy during 
the day in bringing together the year's supply of fuel for 
their minister, which averaged about 40 cords. We find the 
amounts expended by the parish for these frolics in 1797, as 
seen above, to be for cake and cider. $24.62; in 1798, bread 
and beef, $18.94; in 1799, 1 cwt. of flour and 200 lbs. of beef, 
$10.83. 

The spinning visit was similar in character, though we do 
not find that it was attended with expense to the parish. By 

434 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

this means there were collected together various amounts of 
linen thread, yard and cloth, proportioned to the 'gude" wife's 
ability or generosity. The thread was woven into cloth for 
the use and comfort of the pastor and his family, and as it was 
not always of the same texture and size it sometimes puzzled 
the weaver to make the cloth and finish it alike.. 

The meagerness of Mr. Richard's salary was a source of 
great perplexity to him as the expenses of his growing family 
increased, and finally led to his accepting a call from the First 
Presbyterian Church of Newark, N. J. During his pastorate 
of fourteen years he admitted to the Church on examina- 
tion, 214, and on certificate 29. He baptized 444, and sol- 
emnized 251 marriages. At the time of his dismission the 
church numbered 298 members in full communion." 

Rev. Reune Runyon, pastor of the Baptist church 
from 1 77 1 to 1780, was succeeded by Rev. David 
Luffbury. "The year previous to his settlement, on 
the 27th of September, 1786, a considerable number 
of members residing in the neighborhood of School- 
er's Mountain were dismissed to form an independent 
church, which was constituted under the name of 
Schooley's Mountain Church. 

"Rev. David Jayne supplied the church once a 
month during the year 1791. In August of this year 
it was voted to join the New York Association, and 
send delegates to the convention of churches to meet 
in that city for the purpose of forming said association. 
From its organization to the present time (1880) the 
church has been united with the Philadelphia connec- 
tion. 

"Rev. William Vanhorne, was pastor of the Baptist 

435 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

church of Morristown, from 1792 to 1807. Mr. Van- 
horne, however, like his predecesors, supplied the pul- 
pit only once a month, being during the time the pas- 
tor of the Scotch Plains church." 

To the late Hon. Edmund D. Halsey, lovers of Mor- 
ristown annals are indebted for the roll of a local mili- 
tia company organized about the year 1791, which fol- 
lows: 

"A List of Capt. Joseph Halsey's Company Militil.. 

Morristown, 7 June, 1791. 

Capt. Jos. Halsey, Lieut. William Johnes, Ens'n Dan'l 
Lindsly, Serg'ts, Jesse Cutler, Seth Gregory, Abijah Sher- 
man, Zenas Lindsly, Corp'ls John Kirkpatrick, Isaac Hath- 
away, Timothy Fairchild, (Privates), Silas D. Hay ward, 
William Marsh, Timothy Force, Sims Condict, David Humph- 
revil, Ebenezer Humphrevil, Samuel Ford, George F. Fenery, 
Silvanus Tuttle, Josiah Hathaway, Silas Baldwin, Samuel 
Ayers, Absalom Trowbridge, John Hathaway, David Trow- 
bridge, Abraham Beers, John (2) Hathaway, Joseph Trow- 
bridge, John Woodruff, Daniel Mills, Jobe Mills, Jacob Meeker, 
Isaac Walker, Shadrack Hayward, Timothy Extill, Daniel 
Coleman, David Mills, Jabez Guiness, Dave D. Budd, Thadeus 
Mills, James Vance, William Burnet, Matthias Crane, Uzal 
Pierson, Joseph Coleman, Isaac Woolley, Abraham Rutan, 
George Oharrow, Trune Goble, William Marshel, Hezekiah 
Mitchell, David G. Wheeler, Daniel Spenser, John Bollen, 
Elijah Holleway, Henry Feter, Joshua Gorden, John Mc- 
Daniels, George Mills, Michael Conner, Silas Hathaway, 
Ichabod Crane, John Still, George Marsh, Thomas Jean." 

The following statement concerning the origin of 
the famous Morris Academy is from "History of Mor- 
ris County: 

436 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

"The Morris Academy was organized November 28th, 1791. 
This was done by 24 gentlemen, who subscribed each one 
share of £25 for the purpose. The subscribers were Caleb Rus- 
sell, Israel Canfield, Daniel Phoenix, Jr., Alexander Car- 
michael, Gabriel H. Ford, Timothy Johnes, Jr., Moses Estey, 
Jabez Campfield, William Campfield, (Rev.) Aaron C. Collins, 
Jonathan Hathaway, John Jacob Faesch, Richard Johnson, 
John Kinney, Abraham Kinney, Isaac Canfield, George Tucker, 
David Ford, Nathan Ford, Theodorus Tuthill, John Mills, 
Joseph Lewis, Jacob Arnold, Chilson Ford. 

"The first board of proprietors consisted of Jabez Camp- 
field, president ; Caleb Russell, first director ; Gabriel H. Ford, 
second director ; Nathan Ford, third director ; Daniel Phoenix, 
Jr., treasurer; and Joseph Lewis, clerk. Mr. Campfield re- 
signed at the expiration of one month, and was succeeded by 
Mr. Russell. 

"The contract for building the academy was let to Caleb 
Russell for $520. The lot was purchased from the First 
Presbyterian Church, as appears from the trustees' book: 'At 
a meeting of the trustees at the house of Caleb Russell, Esq., 
5th day of September, 1792, the president, Mr. Lindsley, Mr. 
Ford, Mr. Mills, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Ogden being met, a 
deed being made out for one hundred feet of land in front 
and one hundred and thirty feet deep on the hill opposite the 
Conners land, agreeable to a vote of the parish requesting the 
trustees to act discretionary on this affair, the 22nd Feb. 1792 — 
the said deed was then signed, conveying twenty-nine hun- 
dredths of an acre of land to the proprietors of the intended 
academy for the sum of thirty pounds Jersey money. Caleb 
Russell, Esq., gave his obligation for said sum.' 

"After the building was completed Caleb Russell, although 
he was clerk of the county and had a variety of other busi- 
ness to attend to, consented to take charge of the academy as 
principal. On the 5th of November, 1792, the school opened, 
with 35 scholars as follows: Elias Riggs, Stephen Thompson, 

437 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

Anthony Day, Henry P. Russell, Henry Axtell, David Bates, 
Munson Day, Charles Russell, Ezra Halsey, Richard B. Faesch, 
Jacob Stiles, Jacob Lewis, Timothy J. Lewis, James Wood, 
Nancy Lewis, Betsey Estey, David Estey, Phoebe, daughter 
of Jeduthan Day, Sally Conklin, Hannah Hathaway, Eleazer 
Hathaway, George W. Cook, Thomas Kinney, Henry Mills, 
David Stites William Beach, John P. Johnes, Alexander 
Phoenix, Silas Day, Robert M. Russell, Eliza P. Russell, 
Charles Freeman, Chilion Stiles. 

"Mr. Russell continued in full charge of the school until 
the close of 1795, and in partial charge until August 1797. 
He graduated in 1770 at Princeton College, and studied law 
with Judge Robert Morris, of New Brunswick. He was ap- 
pointed clerk of Morris county four terms of five years each. 
He died in office June 8, 1805, aged 56 years. Under him the 
academy took a very high rank, attracting scholars from New 
York, Philadelphia, Trenton, New Brunswick, Amboy, 
Charleston, S. C, and many other places. From November 
5th 1792 to April 1795, he had a total of 269 scholars. In the 
eighth volume of the Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical 
Society the names of these students, together with those of 
their parents, are given in full. Among them will be found 
many who afterward distinguished themselves in Church and 
State. 

"Mr. Russell was assisted by Elias Riggs, Henry Axtell and 
John Ball, who were among his first pupils, and also by John 
Woodruff. 

"The prices of tuition were: For languages, mathematics 
and surveying, 25s. per quarter; for French, 30s. and 40s. 
per quarter; for English studies, 12s., 15s., and 16s. per 
quarter. 

"Mr. Russell was succeeded in August 1797 by Rev. Samuel 
Whelpley, who continued in charge until 1805." 

From the same authority we learn that "the first library 
in Morris County was established in 1792. On the 21st of 

438 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

September of that year 1 1 inhabitants of the county seat met 
at the house of Benjamin Freeman, at Morristown, and 
'advised and consulted' upon the propriety of organizing a 
society which should be called 'The Morris County Society for 
the Promotion of Agriculture and Domestic Manufactures.' 

"Captain Peter Layton (a relic of the Revolution) was 
chosen chairman, and Colonel Russell, clerk. The constitu- 
tion presented was rather defective. A committee was ap- 
pointed to revise it. The meeting then adjourned to meet at 
Mr. Freeman's house on September 25th, 1792. 

"One hundred people were present at this meeting. Samuel 
Tuthill was installed chairman with Colonel Russell again 
clerk. The constitution was read as revised, and was adopted. 
From it we take (Art. VIII) the following: 'Upon the appli- 
cation of any member of the society for a book he shall 
deliver him one, and at the same time take a promissory note 
for the same, to be returned in one ( 1 ) month from the time, 
on paying one shilling for every week overtime.' On October 
7th, 1793, this was amended and the librarian was only to 
keep an account of the book taken. Article XI informs us 
that the dues were one dollar a year, 'to be paid on the first 
Monday in October of each year,' and that the stock was 
transferable. Ninety-seven of those present then signed the 
constitution, and a good portion of these paid several dollars 
over the dues for the sake of encouragement. The total 
receipts were %22y. 

"On October 1st, 1792, the election of officers came off. 
Samuel Tuthill was elected president; Joseph Lewis, vice- 
president ; Dr. William Campfield, secretary ; W. Campfield, 
librarian ; Israel Canfield, treasurer. Six gentlemen were then 
elected a committee of correspondence. 

"It was resolved that the society purchase three books, and a 
stamp for marking all books. 'They then adjourned.' The 
next meeting was April 1st, 1795, at which the by-laws were 

439 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

read and adopted, from which we learn that the librarian was 
to be at the library to deliver books on all days, Sundays 
excepted, 'from 6 A.. M., to 9 P. M.,' and 'that he shall collect 
all dues in specie.' The society started with 96 volumes. 
At the end of the year the treasurer reported $3547 on hand, 
and an addition of 20 volumes to the library." 

The extracts following, unless otherwise stated, are from 
"History of Morris County" : 

"On the 24th of May 1797 the first number of the first 
newspaper of Morristown was issued. Caleb Russell was the 
prime mover in this enterprise, having purchased a printing 
press and secured the services of Elijah Cooper, a practical 
printer, to attend to the details of the business. The name of 
the paper was the Morris County Gazette, and it was issued 
by E. Cooper & Co. Cooper remained until November of 
the same year, when he left, and Mr. Russell continued sole 
editor. Early in 1798 he invited Jacob Mann, who had 
learned the printing business of Sheppard Kollock in Eliza- 
bethtown, to come to Morristown and take charge of the 
paper. The Morris County Gazette was continued until the 
15th of May, 1798, when the name was changed to the Genius 
of Liberty. This paper was edited by Jacob Mann until 
May 14th, 1801. 

"Morristown has had but few postmasters. The first was 
Frederick King, commissioned early in 1782 by Postmaster 
General Ebenezer Hazard. Henry King, his son, succeeded 
him on the 14th of June, 1792, receiving his commission from 
Postmaster General Timothy Pickering. He held the office 
42 years." 

"The first fire association of Morristown was organized 
July 26th, 1797. Its officers were : Samuel Tuthill, moderator ; 
Joseph Lewis, clerk; Alexander Carmichael, Caleb Russell, 
Colonel Benoni Hathaway, Moses Estey, Captain David Ford 
and Dr. William Campfield, executive committee. How 

440 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

efficient this association proved and how long it continued 
we are unable to state." 

"Among the attractions and advantages of Morristown 
as a place of residence its excellent and abundant water supply 
is not the least important. 

"On November 16th, 1799 a charter of incorporation was 
granted to the following 'proprietors of the Morris Aqueduct' : 
John Doughty, Wm. Campfield, James Richards, David Ford, 
Aaron Pierson, John Halsey, Wm. Johnes, Gabriel H. Ford, 
Henry King, Caleb Russell, Daniel Phoenix, Jr., Israel Can- 
field, Benjamin Freeman, David Mills, George O'Hara, Ro- 
dolphus Kent, Joseph Lewis, Lewis Condict, Abraham Can- 
field, Samuel Ogden, Elijah Holloway, Edward Mills, Wm. 
Tuttle, Matthias Crane, Jonathan Dickerson and Daniel 
Lindsley. 

"From an editorial in the Genius of Liberty, November 
21st, 1799, we condense the following: 'An aqueduct, four 
miles in length including its various branches, has been laid 
and completed in this town since the 20th of June last. The 
fountain is 100 feet above the town, on the north side of a 
small mountain covered with wood. The pipe has been laid 
3 feet under ground, at an expense of between $2,000 and 
$3,000. The work was executed by Pelatiah Ashley, of West 
Springfield, Mass. 

"This 'fountain' was on the 'Jockey Hollow' road (about 
one mile from town), where one of the reservoirs is now 
(1880) situated. The water was conducted from there to the 
town through brick tile. How many years this was con- 
tinued we cannot say, but are informed that for many years 
the aqueduct was a dry one, and Morristown was again left 
dependent on wells, and so continued until the chartered 
right was purchased by James Wood, who repaired it and laid 
chestnut logs of two inches bore as the aqueduct, and had a 
small distributing 'reservoir' — a wooden cistern, capable of 

441 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

holding one hundred barrels of water — in town, on the 
Jockey Hollow road, now Western Avenue." "The younger 
generation knows little or nothing of the pleasures of stage 
coaches and bad roads. Previous to 1838 Morristonians 
reached the outside world only by this luxurious method of 
travel. 

"Benjamin Freeman claims the honor of running the first 
stage from this place to Powles Hook (Jersey City). This 
was in 1798, or possibly 1797. For $1.25 the traveler could 
start from here at 6 A. M., on Tuesday or Friday, and be 
drawn by four horses through Bottle Hill (Madison), and 
thence to Chatham, where 'if he felt disposed he could take 
breakfast,' thence to Springfield, Newark, reaching Powles 
(also spelled Paulus) Hook sometime the same day according 
to circumstances. On Wednesday or Saturday he could 
return by the same route, and at the same price. 

"John Halsey soon entered into partnership with this prim- 
itive Jehu. The profits of the enterprise must have been 
considerable, for the following year, 1799, Matthias Crane 
started a rival stage. We doubt however whether the rivalry 
of Matthias gave the original firm much anxiety, as he could 
only muster two horses. But other competitors arose. The 
columns of the papers of those early days abound with flaming 
advertisements of these rival concerns, not omitting descrip- 
tions of the beauties of their various routes. The majority 
of them ran to Powles Hook, but some only to Newark, from 
which places the passengers were transported by boat to New 
York." 

"Previous to 1855 the Presbyterians interred their 
dead in the graveyard in the rear of the First Church, 
the Baptists theirs in the rear of their church, the 
Episcopalians in the graveyard of St. Peter's, and the 

442 



THE STORY OF ITS FIRST CENTURY 

Methodists in a graveyard on the Basking Ridge road. 
A list of burials in the two yards first named was kept 
between the years 1768 and 1806, and published in a 
quaint old book called the 'Bill of Mortality,' of which 
the following is the title page: 

'Bill of Mortality. 

'Being a Register of all the Deaths which have 
occurred in the Presbyterian and Baptist congrega- 
tions of Morristown, New Jersey, for the Thirty-Eight 
years past. — Containing (with but few exceptions) the 
cause of every decease. — This register, for the first 
twenty-two years, was kept by the Rev. Doctor 
Johnes, since which time by William Cherry, the 
present sexton of the Presbyterian Church of Morris 
Town. — 'Time brushes off our lives with sweeping 
wings.' — Hervey. Morris Town, Printed by Jacob 
Mann, 1806. 

'Note. — Those marked thus * were Church Mem- 
bers — thus f Baptists — thus * T Baptist Church Mem- 
bers.' 

"A supplement was afterward added bringing the 
list down to 1812. * * * "The 'Bill of Mortality' 
contains a mournful list of 1.675 burials between the 
years 1768 and 1806. 

* * * "The oldest of our cemeteries is that in 
the rear of the First Presbyterian Church. The pastor 
of that church has an incomplete list of over 4,000 
burials in it. Large numbers of soldiers were buried 
in it during the Revolutionary war, of whom he has no 
knowledge. Large trenches were dug, and the dead 

443 



HISTORIC MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY 

laid in them in rows. Old military buttons have been 
dug up in quantities. The same is true of the Baptist 
yard." 

George W. Fleury, a native and life-long resident of 
Morristown, informs the writer that when, in the year 
1871, the remains of those buried in the old Baptist 
burying grounds in the rear of the church were disin- 
terred for removal, William Beam found a calf-skin 
pocket book, home-made, containing an English 
razor, several English brass buttons, and four copper 
pennies with the inscription: 'St. George, Rex.' The 
pocket book was about 4x6 inches, and opened once. 
Mr. Fleury has one of the four pennies mentioned. 

The oldest stone in the cemetery (that of the First 
Presbyterian Church) has the following inscription: 
'Here Lyes ye Body of Martha, Wife of Abraham 
Parson Aged About 23 Years Deed Janry 2d 1731.' 
After a visit, a quarter century ago, to the burial 
grounds in the rear of the First Presbyterian Church, 
of Morristown, the visitor, in a very interesting ac- 
count of the same, said: "The oldest date that I could 
discover upon a tombstone was 1722, but a friend 
informed me that he found a stone dated 1713, so it 
appears that this ground was used as a burial-place 
more than half a century before the time of the Revo- 
lutionary War." 

"My pen is at the bottom of a page, 
Which being finished, here the story ends; 
'Tis to be wish'd it had been sooner done, 
But stories somehow lengthen when begun." 
444 



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ONE PAGE OF DR. TIMOTHY JOHNB'S SERMON NOTES. 








OLD FASHIONED FIREPLACE .VXD H< iL'SKHi )LD IMPLEMEXTS. 




SITE OF QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL GREENE'S OFFICE IN 1777. See page 221 




WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS, MORRISTOWN, N. J. 



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RUINS OF STONE BAKE-OVEN USED BY ONE OF THE MARYLAND 

BRIGADES IX 1779-80. See page 293 




BLACK OAK TREE WHERE CAPTAIN KETTIN IS BURIED. See page 374 




THE BETTIN MONUMENT SHOWING THE INSCRIPTION. See page 374 







JOS. LEWIS. 

This Picture was made from a Miniature Portrait in Oil 
loaned by Mrs. E. Anna Dickerson, of Bloomfield, N. J., 
who is a Granddaughter of General Joseph Lewis and _a 
Great-granddaughter of Parson Johnes. 



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BOULDER ERECTED BY THE D. A. R. ON THE 
MORRISTOWN GREEN. 



See page 71 



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LOCALITY FIRST SETTLED IN MORRISTOWN, N. J. 



See page 24 




LOCALITY FIRST SETTLED I \ MORRISTOWN, N. T. 




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WHIPPANY, X. J., BURIAL GROUNDS. 



See page 32 



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EXTRACT FROM "PARSON GREEN'S" PARISH BOOK 

See page 5 




SITE OF PETER KEMBLE'S HOUSE. 



:ee page 221) 




THE KEMBLE BURIAL GROUND. 





MONUMENT OF COL. JACOB FORD, JR., 
MORRISTOWN, N. J 

See page 205 



SUN-DIA.L MONUMENT. ERECTED 
BY THE D. A. R. TO MARK THE 
SITE OF THE DELL WHERE WASH- 
INGTON PARTOOK OF THE LORD'S 

SUPPER. 

See page 237 




• ■■ *•■ • ■ y • 
MONUMENT O] 



r C(.L. JACOB FORD, SR., MORRISTOWN, N. J. 

See page 21 












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THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. MORRISTOWN, N. J., 
DURING THE REVOLUTION. 
Courtesy of Philip H. Hoft'rmn See page 



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PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF MORRISTOW X, 

N. J.. IN 1795. 

Courtesy of Harrie A. Freeman See page 432 






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THE CONTINENTAL STORE HOUSE (MORRISTOWN, X. J.) OF THE 

REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD, AFTERWARD O'HARA'S TAVERN. 
Courtesy of Philip H. Hoffman See page 362 




THE DEACON SAYRE PLACE AT BOTTLE HILL, N. J. 



See page 378 




LOOKING (NORTHEASTWARD) UP THE JOCKEY HOLLOW ROAD TOWARD 
MORRISTOWN FROM THE MENDHAM ROAD. HAND'S BRIG- 
ADE CAMP GROUND IN 1779-80 ON THE RIGHT. 
Photo by J. Elbert Egbert 



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FACSIMILE SIGNATURES ON OLD INDIAN DEED. 

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THE DK. JABEZ CAMPFIELD HOUSE. MORRISTOWX, N. J. 

Sec page 363 







SITE OF "THE HAMMOCK." MORRISTOWN, N. J. 



See page 122 




MONUMENT OF PETER CONDICT, 
MORRISTOWN, N. J. 




THE COL. HATHAWAY HOUSE, MORRISTOWN, N. J. 



See page 192 










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STONE MARKING THE CORNERSTONE OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN 
CHURCH IN MORRISTOWN. 

Sec page 4S 







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THE GENERAL DOUGHTY HOUSE, MORRISTOWN, X. J. 



See page 359 





HOUSEHOLD IMPLEMENTS OF COLONIAL DAYS. 



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THE OLD BAPTIST CHURCH ON THE "MORRISTOWN GREEN." 

See page 92 



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ROADWAY LEADING UP THE FORT NONSENSE HILL, MORRISTOWN, N. J. 




SECTION (SOUTHEASTERLY) OF EARTHWORKS ON FORT NONSENSE 
HILL, MORRISTOWN, N. J. 

See page 269 




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RESIDENCE OF GUSTAV A. KISSELL, MORRISTOWN, X. J. 

See page 405 





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SITE OF THE SILVER M 1 X E ON Till'. OLD JUDGE SYMMES 
P] \( I-.. Ml >KRIST< IVVN, N. I. 

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THE SILAS CONDICT HOUSE, MORRISTOWN, N. J. SHERMAN HILL IN 

'1 HE DISTANCE. 

See page 223 




MONUMENT ON FORT NONSENSE HILL ERECTED BY THE 
WASHINGTON ASSOCIATION OF NEW JERSEY IN 1888. 



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Relative Positions of the Ten Brigades . 
BY PERMISSION OF EMORY McCLINTOCK, LL.D. 



•ee page 301 













•nil-; ioshi'a cri'.Kix lioisi-. on tiik khkly hollow road. 



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KoAl) LEADING TOWARD MENDHAM FROM HOYT'S CORNER. 




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SECTION OF THE FORT HILL OF THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 

LOOKING TOWARD THE WICK HOUSE. THE CONNECTICUT 

BRIGADE CAMP GROUND IS JUST TO THE RIGHT. 

Photo by J. Klbert F.gbeit 



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